Your portfolio needs to show that you can apply the principles of occupational medicine in a clinical setting and critically reflect on the medical condition and the occupational context.

You are required to submit four clinical cases (three relating to occupational disease and one relating to injury) and one workplace based assessment.

Two hard copies of each case are required. Hard copies should be prepared for blind review (using RCPI ID as only identifier), and stapled separately.

Entry requirements

You must

• Hold a medical qualification from a medical school recognised by the World Health Organisation
• Be registered to practice medicine by the relevant body in your home country. You will need to provide evidence of this during the application process
• Have completed Basic Specialist Training or have two year's full-time equivalent experience
• NEW for 2021: Have passed the LFOM Written exam 

How to select cases

You are required to submit four clinical cases (three relating to occupational disease and one relating to injury) and one workplace based assessment.

They must be cases that you personally managed and this should be clearly indicated in how the case description is written.

Each case should involve a different clinical condition and be drawn from as wide a spectrum of clinical encounters as possible. Only one case should involve an occupational injury.

Your cases can be drawn from a general medical clinical workload but must involve work-related disease or an occupational injury. Work-related disease is defined by the WHO as disease caused by, associated with or loosely related to work and the work environment. Any case therefore in which work is an important factor either in causation or management is acceptable.

Workplace assessments must not be related to a medical facility. You will need to look outside the clinical and associated administrative environment and concentrate on basic non-medical work processes.

Writing your portfolio

Your cases should not exceed 1,500 words each. Each individual case must have its own word count, not including references or appendices.

Your portfolio must be written in plain English, using the active voice whenever possible.

The cases, numbered 1 to 5, should contain:

• A title, e.g. Occupational Asthma
• Patient history - including occupational history
• Clinical examination
• Investigation and results
• Diagnosis and treatment
• Case management, emphasising occupational health management and prevention
• Follow up
• Discussion
• References

In your description of case management, be sure to consider aspects of rehabilitation, legal context, task analysis, communication to the employer and their response.

The case discussion is important and should include an appraisal covering the association between the clinical condition and its occupational context. In addition, issues such as causation and options for management should be discussed.

You must carry out a relevant literature review in regard to the case and all citations should be referenced according to the Vancouver convention.

In addition to a table of contents, you should include a brief curriculum vitae including details of your current occupational health commitments. This will not be included in the total word count. Candidates will be penalised if they exceed the allowed word count.

Your portfolio should be formatted as follows:

• The margins should be 2.5cm
• Either 1.5 or double line spacing

Marks are awarded for presentation so you are strongly advised to review and proof read your work prior to submission.

You must respect the normal rules of citation practice. A random selection of portfolios will be tested for plagiarism.

Declaration

You must include the following declaration in your portfolio:

I declare that this dissertation consisting of ..... words and ..... pages (insert the appropriate numbers in figures) is all my own work. Where I have relied on the work of other people, I have acknowledged this according to the normal academic conventions. I understand that my dissertation may be subject to electronic scrutiny. I consent to the publication of an abstract or abstracts on the Faculty's website.

Signed:

Name in print:

Date:

Submitting your portfolio

You are required to submit an electronic copy of your portfolio during the online application process for this exam. The electronic copy should be in Word document or PDF file format without password protection. Each case/project must be uploaded as an individual document. Your name should not be included in the document. The file name should be in the format "RCPI ID - Case x"; this text should also be included as a header in the document. Applications will not be accepted until files in this format have been submitted.

For 2022, a printed copy of your Portfolio is not required.

What to include with your application

There is an online application process for this exam. When you apply you will need to upload

• A scanned copy of a completed declaration form (available to download below)
• Your Portfolio (for each case a separate word or PDF document must be uploaded with the only identifier being your RCPI ID)
• A copy of your CV (must be submitted as a single separate document)
• Any other relevant documents

Application fee

The fee to apply to this exam is €550. The method of payment is credit or debit card, taken at the end of the online application process.

Don't forget, if you're in Ireland you can claim a refund under the HSE Clinical Course and Examination Refund Scheme