2025 Occupational Medicine ST3 Self-Assessment Guidance

Completing the Self-Assessment and preparing the supportive evidence.

Important: Accuracy

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained on this page.

The information presented is accurate at the time of publication.

You will be required to complete a self-assessment as part of your Oriel Occupational Medicine application.

As part of the application process, you must upload supporting evidence to justify the self-assessment achievements you claim on your application form. Failure to upload your supporting evidence may result in losing score. You should plan to have your documents ready to upload at point of application. Guidance will be available Oriel on how to upload documents and it will be very important that applicants adhere to this to enable their evidence to be verified.

When completing the self-assessment, please note the following.

Completed achievements only

You can only claim based on achievements completed at point of submission of your application.

Scores not adjustable after submission

You cannot amend this section after application should you have made a mistake on your application form or gained an achievement after the submission of your application.

Overclaiming

In instances of candidates blatantly or persistently trying to gain an unfair advantage by over-claiming scores for and/or exaggerating their achievements will be taken extremely seriously. This could lead to an application being deemed not appointable, or, in very serious cases, could be reported as a probity matter to the GMC; however, this is a very rare outcome and only in cases of overt cheating.

Word limitations

There will be a text box for each domain where you will be required to add text to demonstrate why you chose that option. Each section will have a maximum word count, detailed in the table below, however, we advise that you keep your explanations as short as possible to justify the selection. 

The Panel will have limited time to check application forms and the more succinct you can be about your achievement, the more straightforward it will be for them to review your folder.

Maximum word count by domain
Scoring domain Word count
Scoring domain Postgraduate qualifications Word count 250
Scoring domain Prizes and awards  Word count 100
Scoring domain Evidence of a portfolio of audit/quality improvement projects, including where the audit loop has been closed and there is evidence of learning of the principles of change management Word count 250
Scoring domain Evidence of relevant academic and research achievements, and involvement in a formal research project Word count 250
Scoring domain Teaching Word count 250
Scoring domain Academic publications (undergraduate or postgraduate)   Word count 250
Scoring domain Presentations (excluding audit presentations)  Word count 250
Scoring domain Posters  Word count 250
Scoring domain Self-reflective practice  Word count 300

Submitting evidence

After the application closing date, you will be required to load supporting evidence to justify the self-assessment achievements claimed on the application form. You should finalise and plan to have your documents ready to upload soon after application submission and will be written to soon after the application closing date to confirm the method and upload window for submission of evidence. However, it is advised to prepare documents in advance so this process can be completed quickly.

Consultant verifiers will need to verify your evidence in a short time so please keep the below in mind when organising the evidence, you will upload, as poorly organised/presented documents may mean achievements cannot be verified.

  • You must upload supporting evidence to justify the self-assessment achievements you claim on your application form. Failure to upload your supporting evidence may result in losing score.
  • Only evidence supporting each of the claimed achievements should be uploaded. There is no requirement to upload any additional documents or achievements if they are not directly related to the scoring domain where points are being claimed.
  • Only sufficient evidence should be provided to justify the scores awarded. Only include enough evidence to demonstrate achievements which justify your selection. Examples are listed below.
    • If you have completed a national presentation, there is no requirement to include evidence for other presentations.
    • If you have written a book, you do not need to upload the whole book, just sufficient pages so interviewers can verify your achievement.
  • Evidence of training courses or areas noted in your commitment to specialty section should not be included unless they specifically relate to a scored option.
  • You must ensure patient-identifiable data is redacted as this may result in the employing trust being notified for failing to do this.
  • Any documentation not in English must be translated, otherwise credit may not be received for this.
  • You will not be able to submit further evidence once the Evidence Upload window closes and only uploaded evidence will be taken into account as part of your application.
  • File types and naming – there are steps that should be taken to make it as straightforward as possible for reviewers to check your evidence.
    • Clearly name files with the scoring domain name appearing first, followed by a description of the document; for example, Undergraduate – Degree classification evidence – certificate.
    • Aim to use standardised file types which can be opened by any user regardless of the software they have available. Whilst it is being confirmed which document types will be accepted, you should aim to convert all files to PDF, JPEG or PNG format.
    • Ensure each document is contained within a single file, for example, do not take a photo of each page of a publication and load them as separate files.

Suggested evidence

It is important that you provide evidence to support each of the scores that you awarded yourself in the self-assessment part of the application form. Whilst it is not possible to provide an exhaustive list of acceptable evidence, the table below will give you an idea of acceptable examples.

Domain Examples of acceptable evidence
Domain Prizes and awards Examples of acceptable evidence

Original letter from Medical School

Original certificate
Domain

Additional postgraduate qualifications

 Examples of acceptable evidence

Original qualification certificate

Original Royal College/College letters confirming examination pass
Domain

Postgraduate Training in other specialties

 Examples of acceptable evidence

Copy of ARCP (Association of Clinical Research Professionals) outcome

Letter from educational supervisor confirming experience

Letter from Medical Staffing confirming length of appointment and specialty undertaken

Letter of appointment (providing this states the length of the post)
Domain

Clinical Governance and Audit

 Examples of acceptable evidence

Copy of audit project

Presentation handouts for project

Audit Plan/synopsis

Copy of policies or minutes of meeting demonstrating your role
Domain Research Examples of acceptable evidence

Original MD or other qualification certificate that requires a dissertation or thesis

Letter from research supervisor confirming your role

Copy of research project and clear explanation of your role
Domain Teaching Examples of acceptable evidence

Original certificate for teaching qualification

Letter confirming attainment of teaching qualification

Letter confirming involvement in a teaching programme as a teacher

Copy/copies of teaching completed and feedback received
Domain Academic publications Examples of acceptable evidence Copy of publication/s underlining your name. Do not include abstracts these will not be counted
Domain

Presentations (excluding audit presentations)

 Examples of acceptable evidence Copy of presentation (hard copy) and copy of event programme
Domain Posters Examples of acceptable evidence Copy of posters
Domain Self-reflective practice Examples of acceptable evidence Evidence of reflection, for example, following attendance to an occupational health meetings, visiting an occupational health service attending a CPD events within and outside occupational health. Please note you must submit evidence of reflection on anything you submit under this section, evidence of attendance will not be sufficient on its own.

Self-Assessment Domains

Question 1 - Postgraduate Medical Qualifications
  1. DOccMed (score: 1)
  2. None of the above (score: 0)
Question 2 - Prizes and awards
  1. I was awarded a Distinction during my undergraduate medical training (score: 2)
  2. I was awarded a Prize or Merit during my undergraduate medical training (score: 1)
  3. I was not awarded one (score: 0)
Question 3 - Evidence of a portfolio of audit/quality improvement projects, including where the audit loop has been closed and there is evidence of learning of the principles of change management
  1. Have made a significant contribution to postgraduate audit projects (for example, managed an audit project, made recommendations for changes to practice based on audit findings, closed the audit loop) – one or more project a year and at least 1 presented at a regional, national or international meeting (score: 4)
  2. Have made a significant contribution to postgraduate audit projects (for example, managed an audit project, made recommendations for changes to practice based on audit findings, closed the audit loop) - one a year or less and these presented at a local meeting (score: 3)
  3. Have made a significant contribution to postgraduate audit projects, for example, managed an audit project, made recommendations for changes to practice based on audit findings, but have not closed the audit loop (score: 2)
  4. Have taken part in other people's postgraduate audits, (such as data collection) or made other minor contributions, not led or designed the audit (score: 1)
  5. I have not participated in an audit project (score: 0)
Question 4 - Evidence of relevant academic and research achievements, and involvement in a formal research project
  1. Completion of a PhD with original research (score: 4)
  2. Significant involvement in research, for example, 2-year MD with original research (score: 3)
  3. I have had some personal and direct involvement with planning or running a postgraduate research project (score: 2)
  4. I have had no involvement in any aspect of research (score: 0)
Question 5 - Teaching
  1. I have made a major contribution to a local/national teaching programme including organising a programme or have a recognised qualification in teaching, for example, Diploma in Medical Education, Masters in Medical Education (score: 4)
  2. I have some experience in formal teaching Health Professionals (such as lectures) and/or I have some experience of formal teaching Health-related topics to a non-medical audience (such as lectures) (score: 3)
  3. I have attended a Teaching the Teachers course, Generic Instructors course or similar (score: 2)
  4. I have carried out informal teaching of colleagues (including nurses and medical students) (score: 1)
  5. I have not contributed to teaching (score: 0)
Question 6 - Academic publications (undergraduate or postgraduate)
  1. I am first author in more than one peer-reviewed publication as a postgraduate (score: 4)
  2. I am first author on one peer-reviewed publication as a postgraduate (score: 3)
  3. I am co-author in more than one peer-reviewed publication as a postgraduate (score: 2)
  4. I am co-author in one peer-reviewed publication as a postgraduate or I am an author of an undergraduate publication (score: 1)
  5. I have not published anything (score: 0)
Question 7 - Presentations (excluding audit presentations)
  1. I have presented at a regional, national or international meeting (score: 4)
  2. I have presented at a local meeting. (score: 2)
  3. I have made a departmental presentation (score: 1)
  4. I have made no presentations (score: 0)
Question 8 - Posters
  1. I have achieved a poster at a regional, national or international meeting (score: 2)
  2. I have achieved a poster at a local or departmental meeting. (score: 1)
  3. I have achieved no posters (score: 0)
Question 9 - Self-reflective practice
  1. Description of feedback and reflection – able to relate a relevant episode of reflection Articulate and confident description. Used the experience to reflect on an aspect of occupational medicine practice in the context of them preparing to work in the specialty (score: 4)
  2. Description of feedback and reflection – able to relate a relevant episode of reflection, merely reflecting on an aspect of occupational medicine practice, demonstrating how they made a change to their current practice (score: 2)
  3. Little evidence of feedback or reflection - limited awareness of the relationship between health and work (score: 1)
  4. No evidence of reflection (score: 0)

Page last reviewed: 12 November 2024
Next review due: 12 November 2026