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The Diploma in Occupational Medicine — designed for medical practitioners working part-time in occupational medicine or with an interest in occupational health. Most frequently taken by GPs adding occupational health services to their portfolio. Three components: an MCQ paper (online via TestReach), a written portfolio (workplace risk assessment + clinical case), and an oral viva. Mandatory FOM-approved training course before sitting.
Full DOccMed bank, AI Tutor and timed mocks — $29/month or $99/year. All paid exam banks included.
Computer-based, delivered online in partnership with TestReach. Tests the underpinning knowledge of occupational medicine — work-related ill-health, occupational hazards, fitness-for-work assessment, ethics, regulation. Candidates who have passed MFOM Part 1 are deemed to have passed the Diploma MCQ (provided other components are completed within 5 years).
Two written submissions: (1) workplace risk assessment — a documented assessment of a real workplace including hazard identification, risk evaluation and control measures; (2) clinical case — a structured case study of a real occupational medicine consultation demonstrating clinical reasoning and management decisions.
Held online via MS Teams. The viva is based on the candidate's written portfolio. Examiners explore the workplace visit and clinical case in depth, probing decision-making, hazard recognition, ethical considerations and recommendations.
Candidates must complete a FOM-approved DOccMed training course before applying for the examination. Approved courses include those at Manchester (CPD), TOPHS, EOPH, RSPH and others. The course is mandatory for the full Diploma but not for the MCQ alone if sitting under MFOM Part 1 route.
All three components must be completed within a 5-year window. Those who pass MFOM Part 1 must complete the other Diploma components within 5 years of their Part 1 pass to receive the DOccMed.
2026 May exams: registration opens 9am Mon 12 January, closes 5pm Mon 9 March 2026. 2026 November exams: registration opens 9am Mon 28 July, closes 5pm Mon 21 September 2026. Limited spaces allocated first-come first-served — only complete applications are booked successfully.
Approximate distribution across the DOccMed syllabus. The exam tests occupational medicine knowledge applicable to a generalist practitioner — GPs providing OH services, doctors entering OH as a sub-specialty, and other medical practitioners with an OH interest.
Source: official Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) of the Royal College of Physicians blueprint
Drawn from the FOM DOccMed syllabus, HSE guidance, current UK occupational health legal framework and item density in iatroX.
Equality Act 2010 — disability definition, "reasonable adjustments" duty, "substantial and long-term", protected characteristics in employment. Recognising when an applicant's condition meets the disability threshold and what adjustments may be needed.
Occupational asthma — recognising work-relatedness, RAST/IgE testing, serial PEFR monitoring (Oasys analysis), high-risk occupations (bakers, healthcare, automotive paint sprayers, latex), removal from exposure as primary intervention
Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) — exposure assessment, Stockholm Workshop staging (vascular and sensorineural), HSE Vibration Regulations 2005, health surveillance tiers, when to remove from vibration exposure
Workplace risk assessment framework — hazard identification, risk evaluation (severity × likelihood), hierarchy of controls (eliminate → substitute → engineering → administrative → PPE), residual risk recording, review intervals
Sick certification and Fit Notes — GP fit note vs OH fit-for-work advice, "may be fit for work with adaptations", AHP fit note pilot, statement of fitness for work format. Distinguishing OH advice from prescribing.
Pre-employment assessment — fitness standards for safety-critical roles (HGV drivers, train drivers, aviation, emergency services, healthcare), legal limits on pre-employment health questions per Equality Act
Bloodborne virus exposure management — needlestick injuries, source patient testing consent, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV (start within 72 hours, ideally within 1 hour), HBV vaccination boosters, HCV management
Stress at work and mental health — HSE Management Standards for stress (Demands, Control, Support, Relationships, Role, Change), recognising work-related vs personal mental illness, return-to-work planning after sickness absence
Observations from UK GPs and clinicians sitting the DOccMed. Verify against current FOM, HSE and UK Government guidance.
Candidate-reported observations — not official guidance.
A pragmatic phased approach for GPs and other doctors entering occupational medicine, balancing the MCQ knowledge with portfolio production.
A live item from the iatroX bank. Try it before launching a full session.
A furniture manufacturer has 12 machine operators undertaking regular wood machining. Despite local exhaust ventilation and personal monitoring results below the workplace exposure limit, statutory health surveillance identifies a 38-year-old operator with newly diagnosed occupational asthma attributed to wood dust. The occupational physician advises that he is permanently unfit for further wood-dust exposure. The worker consents to disclosure of this fitness restriction but refuses consent for disclosure of his diagnosis, spirometry results or clinical correspondence. The production manager requests the full medical report, says that no changes are needed because monitoring is compliant, and asks whether the company must make a RIDDOR report. What is the most appropriate occupational health advice?
Why iatroX is built differently for DOccMed.
Every iatroX item is tagged to a blueprint topic, so your performance dashboard mirrors the structure of the exam itself.
The engine surfaces your weakest topics first, in real time, instead of marching you through a static syllabus.
Incorrect items return at increasing intervals to interrupt the forgetting curve and lock knowledge into long-term memory.
Timed full-length simulations that mirror the official exam structure under realistic conditions.
One iatroX subscription includes the DOccMed bank, the Socratic Tutor inside supported sessions, and every other premium iatroX exam bank.
Cancel anytime · 7-day money-back guarantee on annual
The Diploma in Occupational Medicine is designed for medical practitioners working part-time in occupational medicine or with an interest in occupational health. It is most frequently taken by GPs adding occupational health services to their portfolio. It is also relevant for doctors entering OH as a sub-specialty, or those in training posts (OH specialty trainees often need to complete the Diploma by end of Year One).
Two diets per year. May 2026 exam: registration opens 9am Monday 12 January, closes 5pm Monday 9 March. November 2026 exam: registration opens 9am Monday 28 July, closes 5pm Monday 21 September. Limited spaces are allocated first-come first-served.
Three components: (1) MCQ paper — online via TestReach; (2) Written Portfolio — workplace risk assessment + clinical case; (3) Oral Viva — held online via MS Teams, based on your portfolio. All three components must be completed within a 5-year window.
Yes. Diploma Regulation D2 makes completion of a FOM-approved DOccMed training course mandatory before applying for the full Diploma. FOM-approved courses include Manchester CPD, TOPHS, EOPH, RSPH and others. The course covers all 13 syllabus areas and prepares you for the portfolio and viva.
MFOM (Membership of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine) is the higher specialty qualification for OH specialty trainees. MFOM Part 1 examination is the same MCQ paper as the Diploma MCQ — so candidates passing MFOM Part 1 are deemed to have passed the Diploma MCQ (provided other Diploma components are completed within 5 years). MFOM has further Parts 2 and 3 not required for the Diploma.
DipOHPrac (Diploma in Occupational Health Practice) was introduced by FOM in 2022 — initially for registered nurses, now also available to physiotherapists and occupational therapists. It enables non-medical health professionals to demonstrate occupational health competence. The same MCQ paper is used as for DOccMed (different cohort).
Yes. A single iatroX subscription (£29/month or £99/year for UK users; $29/$99 elsewhere) includes the DOccMed bank alongside DSEM, DGM, and every other premium iatroX exam bank. No add-ons or per-exam fees.
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Reviewed by Dr Kola Tytler MBBS CertHE MBA MSt MRCGP · Last reviewed 12 May 2026
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