DOccMed Written Portfolio Review

Personalised feedback to help strengthen your portfolio submission

Submitting your DOccMed portfolio can be one of the most important stages of the Diploma in Occupational Medicine — and knowing whether your portfolio is genuinely ready for submission can be difficult when you have written it yourself.

Our DOccMed Written Portfolio Review provides personalised, examiner-informed feedback on your completed portfolio, helping you identify strengths, weaknesses and areas that could be improved before submission.

Also suitable for Registered Nurses, Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists preparing for their DipOHPrac.

Who is this service for?

The portfolio review is designed for candidates who have already completed a substantial amount of work on their portfolio and want experienced feedback before submitting it.

It may be particularly useful if you are asking yourself:

• "Is my portfolio actually ready to submit?"
• "Have I demonstrated enough occupational medicine knowledge?"
• "Does my workplace assessment meet the requirements?"
• "Have I provided enough reflection and critical thinking?"
• "Are there gaps in my clinical case?"
• "What questions could I be asked in the viva?"
• "Does my portfolio clearly demonstrate my competence?"
• "Have I structured my work effectively?"

What does the review involve?

Your portfolio is reviewed systematically rather than simply proofread.

We look at the content, structure, occupational medicine reasoning and overall presentation of your submission.

Workplace Visit Review

Your workplace assessment should demonstrate that you can apply occupational health and safety principles to a real workplace.

We review your Workplace Visit with consideration of areas such as:

• Description of the workplace and work processes
• Workforce and occupational groups
• Working environment and working patterns
• Identification and classification of hazards
• Physical, chemical, biological, psychological and ergonomic hazards
• Health effects associated with identified hazards
• Identification of workers exposed
• Risk assessment and control measures
• Relevant legislation and guidance
• Health surveillance
• Environmental or occupational hygiene measurements
• Interpretation of available measurements
• Further investigations that may be appropriate
• Recommendations for additional controls
• Communication of findings and follow-up

Viva preparation included

Alongside your feedback, we provide three potential viva questions based specifically on your Workplace Visit.

This allows you to start thinking beyond the written submission and prepare to explain and defend your assessment verbally.

The questions are designed to encourage you to think about why you made your recommendations, rather than simply memorising what you wrote.

Clinical Case Review

Your clinical case should demonstrate your ability to apply occupational medicine principles to a patient you have personally assessed.

We review areas such as:

• The occupational history
• Relevant medical history
• Job demands and workplace factors
• Functional assessment
• Relationship between health and work
• Differential considerations where relevant
• Occupational medicine reasoning
• Fitness for work
• Workplace recommendations
• Reasonable adjustments
• Communication and confidentiality
• Appropriate management and referral
• Reflection and learning
• Evidence of professional development

The aim is to identify whether your case demonstrates clinical reasoning in an occupational medicine context, rather than simply describing a clinical consultation.

Viva preparation included

Your Clinical Case review also includes three potential viva questions tailored to your case.

These may explore your clinical reasoning, management decisions, occupational considerations or alternative approaches.

What feedback will I receive?

Your review is designed to give you specific, actionable feedback rather than simply telling you whether your portfolio is "good" or "bad".

We will identify:

Your portfolio remains your work

This is an important distinction.

We review your portfolio — we do not write it for you.

Your portfolio should represent your own experiences, clinical reasoning, reflections and professional development.

Our role is to provide experienced feedback that helps you identify areas that may need improvement and gives you the opportunity to strengthen your own work before submission.

We will not fabricate clinical experiences, workplace assessments, reflections or evidence on your behalf.

You remain responsible for the final portfolio that you submit to the Faculty of Occupational Medicine.

Why have your portfolio reviewed?

Submitting a portfolio can be daunting because you are often too close to your own work to identify its weaknesses.

A fresh review can help you see your portfolio from an examiner's perspective.

Who reviews your portfolio?

Your portfolio is reviewed by two experienced occupational health physicians, including a reviewer who achieved 95% in their own DOccMed portfolio/viva.

This provides you with feedback from people who understand the expectations of the assessment and appreciate the difference between simply completing a portfolio and producing a strong submission.

The purpose is not to predict your exact examination result. No review can guarantee a pass.

Instead, the aim is to provide constructive, examiner-informed feedback that helps you submit the strongest portfolio you can produce.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to strengthen your portfolio?

Your portfolio represents your occupational medicine knowledge, experience and professional development.

Before submitting it, get an experienced second opinion on your work.