Complete Guide to Occupational Medicine Exam Revision in 2026

Introduction

Occupational medicine exams are unique among medical specialty examinations. They require a blend of clinical knowledge, understanding of UK legislation, ethical reasoning, knowledge of workplace hazards, and the ability to apply all of this to realistic clinical scenarios. Whether you are preparing for the DOccMed/ MFOM Part 1, or AFOM/MFOM Part 2, the principles of effective revision are the same.

This guide covers the key topic areas you need to master, evidence-based study strategies, recommended resources, and a practical framework for organising your revision.

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The Seven Key Topic Areas

1. UK Health and Safety Law

This is typically the largest and most heavily tested topic area. It is also the one that doctors from a purely clinical background find most unfamiliar.

Primary Legislation:

• Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA) — the foundation of UK occupational health law. Know the general duties of employers (Section 2), employees (Section 7), and the self-employed (Section 3). Understand "so far as is reasonably practicable" (SFAIRP)
• Employment Rights Act 1996 — unfair dismissal, capability, disability-related dismissal
• Equality Act 2010 — the definition of disability, duty to make reasonable adjustments, protected characteristics in the workplace context

Key Regulations:

Study tip: Do not try to memorise entire Acts. Instead, understand the structure and key provisions of each piece of legislation, know who the duty holders are, and know the specific action and limit values of the relevant regulations.

2. Ethics, Consent, and Confidentiality

Occupational medicine presents unique ethical challenges. The fundamental tension is the dual relationship: you serve both the employee (patient) and the employer (who commissions your service).

Core Concepts:

• Informed consent — what it means in the OH context, when it can be implied, when written consent is needed
• Confidentiality — what can and cannot be shared with employers, the difference between clinical information and OH advice
• The OH report — what should be included, what should be excluded, the employee's right to see and amend
• Fitness-for-work assessments — balancing the individual's right to work with safety of the individual and others
• Impartiality — maintaining objectivity when both employer and employee have expectations

Key Guidance: Faculty of Occupational Medicine Ethics Guidance, GMC Good Medical Practice, BMA guidance on OH ethics

3. Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

Understanding how to identify, assess, and manage workplace risks is fundamental.

Other key areas: health surveillance, workplace exposure monitoring, biological monitoring, and specific hazard categories (chemical, physical, biological, ergonomic, psychosocial).

4. Research, Epidemiology, and Evidence-Based Practice

This area tests your ability to critically appraise evidence and apply it to practice.

Study Design — Cross-sectional, case-control, cohort, RCT, systematic reviews. Know the strengths, weaknesses, and appropriate uses of each.

Statistics — Measures of frequency (incidence, prevalence), measures of association (RR, OR, AR), statistical significance (p-values, CIs), diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV), and screening principles (Wilson and Jungner criteria).

Critical Appraisal — CASP checklists, assessing internal and external validity, applying evidence to clinical decisions.

5. Clinical Occupational Medicine

Other Important Areas: Noise-induced hearing loss, HAVS, fitness to drive (DVLA), shift work, infectious diseases in the workplace.

6. Good Occupational Health Practice

This covers the practical delivery of OH services: pre-employment health assessments, sickness absence management, reasonable adjustments, health promotion, rehabilitation, and managing fitness for specific roles (drivers, healthcare workers, offshore workers, emergency services).

7. Occupational Hygiene

Understanding workplace exposures and their measurement: WELs (8-hour TWA and 15-minute STEL), personal exposure monitoring, control banding, ventilation principles, PPE selection and fit testing, ionising and non-ionising radiation.

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Evidence-Based Study Strategies

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16-Week Revision Timetable (MFOM Part 2)

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Resources

Essential

• Faculty of Occupational Medicine syllabus.
• Pass MFOM question bank — 400+ SBA questions with detailed explanations
• Core textbooks in occupational medicine below

Recommended Textbooks

• Pocket Consultant: Occupational Health – 5th edition by Harrington JM, Aw TC, Gardiner K
• Oxford Handbook of Occupational Health – 3rd Edition by Sadhra S, Bray A, Boorman S
• Fitness for Work: The Medical Aspects – 5th edition by Palmer KT, Brown I, Hobson J
• Epidemiology in Medical Practice by Barker and Rose
• ABC of Occupational & Environmental Medicine – 3rd Edition by Eds. Snashall D & Patel D

Online Resources

• HSE website — guidance documents, statistics, legislation
• FOM website — guidelines, ethics guidance, syllabus
• GMC website — Good Medical Practice, confidentiality guidance
• Assessing Fitness to Drive — A Guide for Medical Professionals
• SOM website — various guidance documents under the Resources for healthcare professionals
• Working for a healthier tomorrow – review by Dame Carol Black
• EH40 Occupational Exposure Limits

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Final Advice

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