DOccMed practice

How to prepare for the DOccMed

The Diploma in Occupational Medicine (DOccMed) oral is a 20-minute portfolio viva with two Faculty of Occupational Medicine examiners. Prepare by knowing every clinical, workplace and ethical detail of your submitted portfolio cases and practising how the second examiner widens out from your portfolio across the DOccMed syllabus.

What happens in the DOccMed exam: parts, timings and marking An example DOccMed station, with example feedback DOccMed dates and countdown

Step by step

  1. 1

    Complete an FOM-approved course and prepare your portfolio early

    To enter the DOccMed examination you must hold GMC registration (or acceptable equivalent registration) and have completed a Faculty-approved DOccMed training course. Choose portfolio cases where you personally assessed the worker, evaluated the workplace exposures and wrote the occupational health report.

  2. 2

    Know the clinical and workplace detail of your portfolio cases

    In the first 10-minute half of the oral, Examiner 1 questions you directly on your submitted portfolio. Be ready to justify your occupational history, hazard and risk evaluation, hierarchy of control measures, clinical reasoning, fitness-for-work opinion and reasonable adjustments.

  3. 3

    Prepare for Examiner 2 widening out across the DOccMed syllabus

    In the second 10-minute half, Examiner 2 starts from your portfolio and tests breadth across the DOccMed syllabus: the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, COSHH 2002, Control of Noise and Vibration at Work Regulations 2005, Control of Lead and Asbestos Regulations, statutory health surveillance and RIDDOR 2013 reporting.

  4. 4

    Practise occupational health ethics, consent and report writing aloud

    Examiners test the impartial advisory role of the occupational physician under the FOM Ethics Guidance, GMC Confidentiality and the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988. Practise explaining informed consent for management reports, separating confidential clinical detail from functional advice, and the Equality Act 2010 framework.

  5. 5

    Rehearse concise spoken answers against two 10-minute clocks

    The 20-minute oral has no separate reading window on the day and moves briskly between two examiners. Practise defending your own portfolio cases and answering follow-up regulatory and fitness-for-work questions aloud in timed 10-minute halves.

Official resources

Common mistakes examiners report

  • Recommending personal protective equipment first instead of walking through the hierarchy of controls from elimination, substitution and engineering controls downwards. source
  • Blurring confidential clinical diagnosis with functional fitness-for-work advice in reports to management, or overlooking worker consent requirements. source

Practise with MedMock

MedMock practises the entire 20-minute DOccMed oral examination across its two 10-minute halves: Examiner 1 (Portfolio Case Viva) and Examiner 2 (Applied Occupational Health Viva). Before starting a station you can paste or upload your own DOccMed portfolio so the AI examiner questions you on your actual cases, or practise immediately with the built-in sample portfolio. The written MCQ paper is not practised here.

Practise the DOccMed viva Start with a one-off £5 taster: 30 credits, no subscription.

Questions candidates ask

How long is the DOccMed oral examination?

The DOccMed oral examination lasts 20 minutes in total and is conducted by two Faculty of Occupational Medicine examiners, with each examiner questioning for 10 minutes.

Can I practise with my own DOccMed portfolio on MedMock?

Yes. When you open either DOccMed station on MedMock you can paste or upload your own portfolio text so the examiner questions you directly on your submitted cases, or use the built-in sample portfolio.

What else is required alongside the DOccMed oral examination?

Candidates must have completed a Faculty-approved DOccMed training course, submitted an acceptable portfolio by the deadline, and passed both the written MCQ paper and the 20-minute oral examination.

Sources

Checked on 24 October 2026.

Exams and their regulations change. MedMock is not affiliated with any examining body; always check the current guidance on the official site before you book.