5th European Assessment in Occupational Medicine

‘[It] was a challenging opportunity to test and validate my expertise and experience in an all-round assessment. It was a most correct, very kind and fulfilling experience and a perfect moment for networking. I consider the certificate as an international acknowledgement to boost my career.’
Dr. Frederik Coppens
Occupational Practitioner Liantis
Belgium (Flanders and Brussels)

“The main motive for taking European Exam during my final year of residency was desire to challenge myself, estimate acquired knowledge and find out what more should I learn in order achieve full competencies in Occupational Medicine. It took certain amount of will, focus, time and dedication to gain this mark of excellence, but it resulted with a sense of professional achievement and valuable addition to my CV. This journey was also a great opportunity to meet and spend time with colleagues from other countries, making it once-in-a-lifetime experience that I would highly recommend to everyone having doubts about applying.”
Karmen Bradvica-Kelava, MD
Specialist in Occupational and Sports Medicine, Croatia

“Passing the European Postgraduate Assessment in Occupational Medicine is a significant personal achievement as it requires demonstrating proficiency in an international context. Preparation presents an excellent  chance to enhance fundamental knowledge of occupational medicine and develop additional skills. Furthermore, passing the exam is also proof of active knowledge of the English language and professional terminology in the field of occupational medicine.”
Nastja Svetina, MD
specialist in occupational, traffic and sports medicine, Slovenia

“In January 2020, I took part in the first European specialist exam in occupational medicine within the framework of UEMS. My colleagues and I are the first in our generation to take the exam and successfully pass it. Of course, a lot of effort had to be invested, intensive preparations started about two months before the scheduled date. However, the decision to take the European exam was one of the better ones. Thanks goes first and foremost to the UEMS President, who inspired us and encouraged us to take on the challenge. The European exam definitely confirmed that we can compete with our European colleagues in terms of knowledge, a reward for hard work during the entire specialization and an excellent journey on the further professional path.”
Niša Zupan, MD
specialist in occupational traffic and sports medicine, Slovenia

"I fondly remember my experience with the European exam. I see several benefits of taking the European exam in occupational medicine, which I would like to highlight:
1: Recognition and Credibility: Successfully passing the European exam at an international level demonstrates the appropriate knowledge and skills in occupational medicine. This brings recognition and trust from colleagues, employers, and even employees.
2: Professional Development: The European exam for occupational medicine requires a lot of effort and time for preparation or study, resulting in enriched knowledge in the field.
3: Better Quality of Work: Successfully passing the European exam for occupational medicine contributes to better quality of work and care for patients (working population). With acquired knowledge and skills, I can better understand and address the health problems that employees experience in the workplace.
4: Opportunity to Work in an International Environment: The European exam for occupational medicine is valid in several countries throughout Europe. This means potential new opportunities for career and personal development.
5: Personal Triumph: In addition to everything mentioned above, perhaps the most important thing for me personally is that the exam represents a difficult but successfully accomplished task. Also, the experiences of hard study and fond memories that remain after successfully passing the exam forever bond us with colleagues who took the exam together."
Petra Cestnik Čokl, MD
specialist in occupational, traffic and sports medicine, Slovenia

“The exam covered topics ranging from occupational pathology and toxicology, fitness for work, health promotion, emergencies in occupational health, to European legislation, ethics in occupational medicine, finance and many others, which presented me with a great deal of difficulty and caused me quite a bit of stress in learning them all. The breadth of knowledge I gained by studying for the exam is an indispensable foundation when faced with everyday dilemmas in occupational and even traffic and sports medicine. In a broader context my experience with the exam consists of long hours of study, solving problems with my fellow co-participants, deepening existing friendships and forming new (international) alliances. I can not belittle the fact that the exam in my country is recognized as the theoretical part of the national specialist exam in occupational medicine.”
Viktor Strauch, MD
graduating trainee of occupational, traffic and sport medicine, Slovenia

Recommended literature, updated 2022

• WHO: Good Practice in Occupational Health Services. A Contribution to Workplace Health. accessed http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/115486/E77650.pdf
• https://oiraproject.eu/hr

Information notice on occupational diseases: a giude to diagnosis. European Commission 1994

SI. Ale, HI Maibach. Operational Definition of Occupational Allergic Contact Dermatitis. Biologic Causes of Occupational Dermatoses.

L. Kanerva et al. (ed.), Handbook of Occupational Dermatology. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2000

C. Avnstorp. Cement Workers. L. Kanerva et al. (ed.), Handbook of Occupational Dermatology ©Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2000

J.K. McDonnell and J.S. Taylor. Occupational and Environmental Acne. en L. Kanerva et al. (ed.),
Handbook of Occupational Dermatology © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2000

• International code of ethics for occupational health professionals. International Commission on Occupational Health. 2012
• Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety. International Labour Organisation. 2015. http://www.iloencyclopaedia.org/
• Serra C, Rodriguez-Jareño MC, Delclos GL, Plana M, Gomez L. Systematic review of criteria and methods used for the assessment of fitness for work. Occup. Environ. Med.2006 doi:10.1136/oem.2006.029397

Moran KD, O’Reilly T, Munster AM. Chemical burns. A ten-year experience. Am Surg. 1987;53(11):652– 653

Wood FM, Phillips M, Jovic T et al. Water First Aid Is Beneficial In Humans Post-Burn: Evidence from a Bi-National Cohort Study. PLoS One. 2016;11(1):e0147259. Published 2016 Jan 25. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147259

Singer A, Sagi A, Ben Meir P, Rosenberg L, Chemical burns: Our 10-year experience. BurnsVolume 18, Issue 3, June 1992, Pages 250-252

• Nielson CB, Duethman NC, Howard JM, Moncure M, Wood JG. Burns: Pathophysiology of Systemic Complications and Current Management. J Burn Care Res. 2016;38(1):e469–e481.
• Tobiasen J, Hiebert JM, Edlich RF, A Practical Burn Severity Index, The Journal of Burn Care & Rehabilitation, Volume 3, Issue 4, July-August 1982, Pages 229–232.
• American Heart Association: Basic Life Support (BLS) Provider Manual. Dallas, American Heart Association, 2016. Page 71
• Belgian Red Cross: European Reference Guide for First Aid Instruction. December 2006.
• European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015. Section 2. Adult basic life support and automated external defibrillation. Resuscitation 95.
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): Generic procedures for assessment an response during a radiological emergency. 2006
• Dajer AJ, Chapter 14 First Aid an Emergency Medical Services. International Labour Organization Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health & Safety available in http://www.iloencyclopaedia.org/part-ii-44366/first-aid-a-emergency-medical-services
• Silbergeld EK, Chapter 33 Toxicology. International Labour Organization Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health & Safety available in http://www.iloencyclopaedia.org/part-iv-66769/toxicology-57951
• https://monographs.iarc.fr/agents-classified-by-the-iarc/

Berghout MA, Fabricotti IN, Buljac-Samardžić M, Hilders CGJM (2017) Medical leaders or masters? – A systematic review of medical leadership in hospital settings. PLoS ONE 12(9): e0184522. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0184522

Warren OJ, Carnall R. Postgrad med j (20101). Doi:10.1136/pgmj.2009.093807

The Council Directive 89/391 European Economic Community

ICOH Code of Ethics

• Gherase D, Jeffares I. eds. Workplace health promotion. Definitions, methods and techniques. Training Manual. Bucharest 2009
• Bailey K, Vardulaki K, Langham J, Chandramohan D. Introduction to Epidemiology. Open University Press, 2010

https://guides.mclibrary.duke.edu/sysreview/types

EU OSHA Funding Guide 2015 https://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/

Information notices on occupational diseases a guide to diagnosis:
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/5d549879-7f75-4e89-b737-e19f530d1236/language-en

• Council Directive of 12 June 1989 89/391 EEC
• Commission Directive (EU) 2019/1883 of 24 October 2019
• Directive 2000/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 September 2000
• Directive (EU) 2017/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2017
• Commission Directive (EU) 2020/739 of 3 June 2020

Sets of MCQs – The importance of topics
Approx. % of scores
Topic 1 10
Topic 2 35-40
Topic 3 10
Topic 4 80
Topic 5 15-20
Topic 6 10
Topic 7 20
Topic 8 25
Topic 9 25-30
Topic 10 5

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