Exam Structure
All portfolios need to be submitted electronically, as per the details and specifications in the Submitting Your Portfolio section below.
Your portfolio needs to show that you can apply the principles of occupational medicine in a clinical setting and critically reflect on the medical condition and the occupational context.
You are required to submit four clinical cases (three relating to occupational disease and one relating to injury) and one workplace-based assessment.
How to select the cases
Your portfolio must consist of cases that you have personally managed. This should be clearly indicated in how the case description is written.
Each case should involve a different clinical condition and be drawn from as wide a spectrum of clinical encounters as possible. Only one case should involve an occupational injury.
Your cases can be drawn from a general medical clinical workload but must involve either a work-related disease or an occupational injury. Work-related disease is defined by the WHO as a disease caused by, associated with, or loosely related to work and the work environment. Therefore, any case in which work is an important factor either in causation or management is acceptable. Display screen equipment assessments are not allowed.
Workplace assessments must not be related to a medical facility. You will need to look outside the clinical and associated administrative environment and concentrate on basic non-medical work processes.
Writing your portfolio
Your portfolio must be written in Plain English, using the active voice whenever possible.
The word count of each case should not exceed 1,500 words. Each individual case must have its own word count, not including references or appendices. You will be penalised if you exceed the allowed word count.
Incorrectly formatted portfolios will be rejected.
The cases numbered 1 to 5 should contain:
- A title, for example, Occupational Asthma
- Patient history - including occupational history
- Clinical examination
- Investigation and results
- Diagnosis and treatment
- Case management, emphasising occupational health management and prevention
- Follow up
- Discussion
- References
In your description of case management, be sure to consider aspects of rehabilitation, legal context, task analysis, communication to the employer, and their response.
The case discussion is important and should include an appraisal covering the association between the clinical condition and its occupational context. In addition, issues such as causation and options for management should be discussed.
You must carry out a relevant literature review in regard to the case and all citations should be referenced according to the Vancouver Convention.
Finalising your portfolio
In addition to a table of contents, you should include a brief curriculum vitae including details of your current occupational health commitments. This information will not be included in the total word count.
Your portfolio should be formatted as follows:
- The margins should be 2.5cm
- Either 1.5 or double line spacing
Marks are awarded for presentation so you are strongly advised to review and proofread your work prior to submission.
You must respect the normal rules of citation practice. A random selection of portfolios will be tested for plagiarism.
Declaration
You must include the following declaration in your portfolio:
I declare that this dissertation consisting of ..... words and ..... pages (insert the appropriate numbers in figures) is all my own work. Where I have relied on the work of other people, I have acknowledged this according to the normal academic conventions. I understand that my dissertation may be subject to electronic scrutiny. I consent to the publication of an abstract or abstracts on the Faculty's website.
Signed:
Name in print:
Date:
Submitting your portfolio
You are required to submit an electronic copy of your portfolio during the online application process for this exam. The electronic copy should be in Word document or PDF file format without password protection.
Each case/project must be uploaded as an individual document. Do not include your name in the document. The file name should be in the format "RCPI ID - Case x"; this text should also be included as a header in the document.
Applications will not be accepted until files in this format have been submitted. As of 2022, printed hard copies of portfolios are no longer required.