Occupational Medicine

What is Occupational Medicine?

A branch of clinical medicine, it focuses on health care in the workplace. Encompassing health and safety, risk-assessment and prevention, management of pathology due to work-related activities and safely returning to work after illness. This may entail visiting workplaces: helping employers to form new policies; through to more typical clinical work: patient assessments and appropriate management

The field is vast and lends itself to specialisation, for example into aviation medicine, diving medicine and sports and exercise medicine.

Doctors seek to ensure the well-being of employees and that their work complements this at all times. Employment can be through the NHS, defense services or the many private providers. Larger employers may have their own Occupational Health team. Most private employers will seek formal qualifications, such as those through the Faculty of Occupational Medicine.

Medical Similarities

Branch of clinical medicine so many similarities are present
General Practice

Pay

NHS posts follow the NHS Payscale, whilst full-time private sector work can range from £50k – £100k/annum

Hours

~48 hrs/wk

Lifestyle

Lots of opportunities for part-time work, some General Practitioners also chose to pursue this as a specialist interest. Usually few on-calls but may have to work the odd evening, so a good family/work balance is achievable. Depending on the sector, travel may be part of the job. The variations within the sector are extensive and as a result the opportunities to develop a path to suit you are very much open

Attributes

MRCP (UK), MRCGP
Acute medical experience
Commercial awareness beneficial to certain settings
Breadth of clinical knowledge
Ethical provision of care, which can become challenging

Getting Ahead

Diploma in Occupational Medicine (DOccMed)
Membership of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (MFOM)
Achievements, including research related to occupational medicine

Further Info

Faculty of Occupational Medicine
Faculty of Occupational Medicine – Persons Spec.
NHS Plus
Institute of Occupational Medicine
American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine