CPD in Occupational Medicine: course details

The CPD in Occupational Medicine aims to introduce the common knowledge framework required in occupational medicine, health and hygiene disciplines, and provide you with an understanding and awareness of the foundation principles of occupational health. 

The course provides you with knowledge of occupational hazards and risk assessment for worker health protection, and of occupational diseases arising from specific types of work and occupation.

The aim is that you will apply this knowledge to understanding the complex factors involved in the manifestation of workplace ill health and develop your understanding of health assessment, surveillance, and health screening.

The learning outcomes are intended to: 

• introduce you to the knowledge and skills required in the areas of medicine, science and hygiene that are encompassed by occupational health;
• describe and define the relationships and responsibilities of the occupational physician and occupational hygienist with management, trades unions employees and other branches of the profession/other appropriate agencies;
• give you a good foundation on which to build and extend your knowledge of occupational health in response to future changes and developments;
• provide you with an understanding of the concept of work-related and occupational disease, including types of commonly reported diseases and their recognition, mechanisms and causes;
• enable you to apply the concept of epidemiology to health surveillance, health assessment and health screening.

The course is delivered through a blend of written materials in electronic format and interactive teaching material, supported by seminars and tutorials.

We offer a taster of what we provide as part of our learning materials for our postgraduate course in Occupational Medicine.

All materials are accessed solely online, primarily via the University Virtual Learning Environment, Blackboard.

You will require regular access to a modern personal computer (Windows or Mac) with a stable internet connection. You should be confident in using the internet for web browsing and sending emails and also using word processing software, such as Microsoft Word.

Please note: support is provided wherever possible for students experiencing technical issues via the University's IT Helpdesk. However, we cannot be held responsible for problems arising from students failing to ensure they have the minimum technical specification.

Information about each unit, including assessment details, can be found at the below links:

• POPH68881(2): Fundamentals of Occupational Health
• POPH68861(2): Introduction to Work-Related Ill-Health

Each of the two units is currently assessed by a brief assignment and a multiple choice question (MCQ) exam - two assignments and two exams in total.

The online materials provided are supplemented by additional resources such as seminars and tutorials.

The purpose of the seminars and tutorials is to put into context the information covered by the teaching material. They will also provide opportunities to re-address concepts and approaches to problem-solving in discussion with both tutors and your peers.

The Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) examination is in two parts consisting of a multiple-choice examination paper AND a portfolio assessment and an oral examination based on that portfolio.

The portfolio required by FOM is in the form of two written reports. One report should be based on a visit to, and assessment of, a workplace and one report should be based on a clinical case seen and examined by the candidate.

To help students prepare for the portfolio element of the FOM exam, our CPD course provides support via tutorials on ‘workplace risk assessment’ and ‘determining work-relatedness’ and also via the summative assessments for each unit.

Each of the two units is currently assessed by a brief assignment and a multiple choice question (MCQ) exam - two assignments and two exams in total. The intended learning outcomes (ILOs) of the assignments aim to support students in developing their understanding and application of workplace risk assessment and identification of work-related illness, while the ILOs of the MCQ exams address a broader understanding of occupational health, medicine and hygiene. 

Support is also provided via a monitored discussion board where students can engage with the tutors and with their peers and benefit from the differing clinical backgrounds and experience contained within the group.

The portfolio discussion board provides a space where students can reflect on specific aspects of course material and identify possible gaps in their knowledge and get advice on how to apply problem-solving skills to workplace scenarios using knowledge gained from the other units. 

It also encourages students to reflect on whether personal practice is consistent with good occupational medical practice and, finally, offers an opportunity for students taking the DOccMed to gain experience in addressing the types of questions that may arise in the portfolio oral assessment. 

By the end of the CPD course, participants who have engaged with the course should have acquired the skills to be able to produce a portfolio suitable for submission for FOM's DOccMed level qualification.

Email: pgtaught.cbm@manchester.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)161 529 4563