Occupational Medicine (NI) ST3 - Specialty Specific Application Form Questions

These are the Specialty Training application form questions used on Oriel for applications to Occupational Medicine ST3 higher specialty training in Northern Ireland. These are the application form questions used for posts advertised in November 2023 with a start date from August 2024.
 
The questions are presented here to help you prepare for your future applications. Please be aware application form structures, questions, word counts, etc. can change and there is no guarantee that future application forms will remain the same. 

Supporting Information

1. Supporting Information

Please advise if you have any of the following achievements that would be relevant to your application.

(Ticking the box will open up a table below, in which you should provide further information.)

  • Additional Undergraduate Degrees or Qualifications
  • Additional Postgraduate Degrees or Qualifications
  • Additional Achievements (ie. Prizes, Awards, Distinctions)
  • Training Courses


2. Presentations and Publications

In this section please provide details of your most relevant publications in journals or presentations to local bodies, regional or national societies. Please state whether the presentation was oral or a poster. Please give full citation details of any published work (please provide PubMed link or alternative in your answer). Please give a statement about your personal contribution to the work (e.g. first author, lead investigator)

If you do not have an achievement in that area, please put ‘N/A’ in the relevant box.

Please provide details of your most relevant presentations and/or posters. Please give a statement about your personal contribution to the work. Other than the option of being a significant contributor at a national or international meeting, it is a requirement that you deliver presentations yourself (or co-present) and for posters that you are available for questions/answers where it is shown.  See the PHST Recruitment website (https://phstrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/applying/application-scoring) for full guidance. This domain has additional guidance on the website should an activity have been disrupted due to COVID-19 (Words allowed: 300)

Please provide details of your most relevant publications. Please give full citation details (as in Pubmed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed)) of any published work and then give a statement about your personal contribution to the work. If adding details of an abstract, please add ‘(abstract)’ as a note. (Words allowed: 300)

3. Supporting information

Use the spaces below to provide information to demonstrate how you are suitable for a training post in this specialty.  Please refer to both the essential and desirable criteria on the person specification as you complete the following sections.

If you do not have an achievement in that area, please put ‘N/A’ in the relevant box.

Teaching Experience

Please provide details of your teaching experience. Please give full details about the type of teaching, your personal contribution, details of any feedback obtained and how you have reflected on this; the PHST Recruitment website (https://phstrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/applying/application-scoring) has guidance to help choose the right option. This domain has additional guidance on the website should an activity have been disrupted due to COVID-19 (Words allowed: 250)

Training in Teaching

Please provide details of your training in teaching. Include details about: the course provider, any qualification gained, start and end dates, the length of training and how the course was conducted (Words allowed: 100)

Quality Improvement

Please provide details of your experience of quality improvement activities, providing details of your experience of quality improvement activities, giving titles and dates. What specifically was your contribution, what did the project show, how was it sustainable, was it presented or published? Remember that projects/audits which do not demonstrate use of QI methodology and repeated Plan Do Study Act cycles should be scored no more highly than the two point option; although it is permissible to claim for projects where you were only involved in one complete PDSA cycle, provided that additional cycles for that project were completed either before or subsequent to your work. See the PHST Recruitment website (https://phstrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/applying/application-scoring) for full guidance. This domain has additional guidance on the website should an activity have been disrupted due to COVID-19 (Words allowed: 250)

Leadership / Management

Please provide details of your experience in leadership and management, specifying the: name of the organisation, nature and scope of your role, start and (if applicable) end date. You must also include details of the positive impact you were able to make. Roles must be subsequent to commencing your first undergraduate degree (ie this includes any degree undertaken prior to your primary medical qualification); See the PHST Recruitment website (https://phstrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/applying/application-scoring) for full guidance. (Words allowed: 250)

4. MRCP(UK) or qualifying alternative

Applicants must demonstrate one of the following criteria to apply to medicine at ST3/ST4 level:

  • MRCP(UK) Part 1 at time of application and MRCP(UK) full diploma by initial offers (Initial offers for Round 2 ST3/ST4+ is 5pm Thursday 18 April 2024)
  • Eligibility for the specialist register in general internal medicine by time of application; this must have been approved by the GMC to be considered.
  • Completion of Irish Basic Specialty Training in medicine and the MRCPI full diploma by initial offers (Initial offers for Round 2 ST3/ST4+ is 5pm Thursday 18 April 2024)


Please note the following regarding these rules:

  • These rules only apply to the MRCP(UK) criterion. It will still be necessary for any trainee applying on this basis to submit the relevant alternative certificate to enter higher specialty training with their application and to meet the necessary experience requirements for the specialty of application.
  • This rule only applies to the MRCP(UK). If you are applying to a specialty which accepts trainees/examinations from other pathways (e.g. paediatrics/MRCPCH), you will need the relevant UK membership examination.


Please visit the PHST Recruitment website for details about eligibility: https://phstrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/am-i-eligible

Please select from the options below how you satisfy the requirement to have MRCP(UK), or qualifying alternative. Alternative specialty examinations must be specifically referenced on the person specification for the specialty to which you are applying.

  • Full MRCP(UK) at time of application (or alternative specialty exam referenced on the person specification)
  • On track to complete MRCP(UK) by initial offers date for this recruitment round (or alternative specialty exam referenced on the person specification)
  • Completion of Irish Basic Specialty Training in medicine AND the MRCPI full diploma by initial offers date
  • Eligibility for the specialist register in general internal medicine by time of application


If you are applying on the basis of an alternative specialty UK examination, please supply the name of the examination here:

5. Commitment to specialty

Your answers in this section will not contribute to your application score, but commitment to specialty is a significant part of the interview so, should you be invited, your answer will be reviewed and may be discussed at that stage

Explain in the space provided why you have applied for this specialty (Words allowed: 150)

Please outline any specific skills or attributes that you possess that make you suitable for a career in this specialty (Words allowed: 150)

Interests Outside Medicine

In this space please describe any other attributes or activities outside of the field of medicine that you feel may support your application. It is not mandatory to enter any information here but is recommended to refer to the person specification when considering information to include (Words allowed: 200)

6. NIMDTA Welcome Event 

NIMDTA runs an annual Welcome Event for trainees new to Northern Ireland. This event is predominately aimed at doctors who have neither worked nor lived in Northern Ireland before.  The course is designed to address some of the elements of life particular to Northern Ireland, both inside and outside medicine.

All new appointments are welcome; however we would appreciate if you could answer the questions below to indicate the range of trainees attending.

Do you identify yourself as someone New to Northern Ireland (N2NI)? (Yes | No)

i.e. If you don’t have enough experience of working or living in NI, then please answer yes.

Would you like to receive an invitation to NIMDTA’s New to Northern Ireland Welcome Event (Yes | No)

Self-assessment

Occupational Medicine Self-assessment (1 of 2)

1. Occupational Medicine Self-assessment Please refer to the ‘Self-Assessment Guidance’ document for full guidance.

The questions below require you to select the most appropriate achievement from each section. The answers to these questions will make up the application score used to allocate candidates to interview.  

  1. All Candidates MUST upload evidence for ALL self-assessment domains at time of application.
  2. All Evidence MUST be uploaded in PDF FORMAT.
  3. You MUST upload an index page before completing the self-assessment. The index should detail the evidence you have provided for each domain, to help the validators navigate through your evidence. This document MUST be named 00Index.pdf. An approved index template can be downloaded from the document library for this vacancy which illustrates how we expect your evidence to be organised. Failure to provide an index that clearly lists where all required evidence can be found AND which domain it is linked to will result in your application being rejected. 
  4. Please combine evidence for each domain into ONE pdf per domain in the order listed within your index document. Each Domain should then be labelled accordingly (ie. 01Quals)
  5. If it is not possible for you to combine documents into one pdf, you will be permitted a max of 5 documents per domain and they should be labelled accordingly (ie, 01a, 01b, etc. in order based on your index page)
  6. Please ensure you keep to the naming convention above and DON’T use any non-alphanumeric characters (ie. &*.%$) as this will prevent the transfer of your documents into SharePoint for validation.  The naming convention is provided to allow the validation panel to quickly identify your evidence and identify which domain it applies to.  If it is not clear from the file name which domain the evidence relates to, the validation panel reserves the right to reject that file. 
  7. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure uploaded documents FULLY DEMONSTRATE the required evidence based on the rating they have chosen. Failure to do so may result in the score for that domain being reduced. (ie. if you have claimed that you have presented at a national or international meeting, do not expect your slides alone to be accepted as evidence; instead please upload confirmation from the conference organisers that your presentation was included in the programme of events.  Similarly, if your score depends on a publication having a PubMed reference, please ensure this is clearly visible within your evidence submission.)
  8. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure uploaded documents are CORRECTLY ORIENTATED AND LEGIBLE. Failure to do so may result that domain being scored zero.
  9. ONLY upload documentation directly relevant to your self-assessment. The validating panel cannot be expected to review your entire portfolio. If a candidate is deemed to have uploaded unnecessary documentation that prevents the validation panel from quickly identifying the correct evidence, their application will be rejected.
  10. You can only claim on the basis of achievements completed at point of submission of your application.
  11. Scores are not adjustable after submission – you cannot amend your self-assessment score after should you have made a mistake on your application form, or gained an achievement after the submission of your application.
  12. It is never permissible to share or upload patient identifiable data.  Any file found to contain patient identifiable data will be removed from your evidence folder, prior to validation, to prevent it being shared further. NIMDTA may also be obliged to raise this as a GDPR issue and inform your Responsible Officer.

– Completed achievements only – you can only claim on the basis of 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.

The questions below require you to select the most appropriate achievement from each section. The answers to these questions will make up the application score used to allocate candidates to interview.  

Unless specified otherwise on the website, all achievements should relate to the field of medicine (in its broadest sense – ie not just hospital medicine).

Queries about which option to choose

In addition to the guidance there are also some frequently asked questions which you may find helpful in completing this section available from: Occupational Medicine ST3 Self Assessment Guidance | Medical Hub (hee.nhs.uk) 

The single most common question we receive is from candidates unsure which options to choose when it appears unclear. Unfortunately we are restricted in the guidance we can provide as completion of the form must be solely your own work, including choosing achievements from each list.

The general advice is to consider the options available, the guidance on the website and your experience/achievements in this area, and then use your professional judgement to select the highest available option you deem to be appropriate. Subsequent to this, provide all additional information required within the form, so as to make a case as to why you have selected this particular option.

Validation panels are aware that the options do not always neatly describe a candidate’s achievements and so can employ a degree of flexibility when reviewing forms. However, you must be able to upload evidence to Oriel that fully evidences your claims, so please ensure the achievement you choose is a fair representation of what you have done to the best of your knowledge and belief.

Postgraduate Medical Qualifications

Degree classifications – You will be required to justify your selected option on the application form as to why you deemed this the equivalent option; interviewers may ask you about this further at interview.

  • DOccMed : 1
  • None : 0


Please upload evidence here. Your evidence should be combined into 1 pdf 

Upload a new document OR  Select document from repository

You can attach a maximum of 5 documents(s)

Please explain why you chose this option (Words allowed: 250)

Prizes and Awards

Prizes and Awards , this may include , Original letter from Medical School, Original certificate

  • I was awarded a Distinction during my undergraduate medical training : 3
  • I was awarded a Prize or Merit during my undergraduate medical training : 1
  • None : 0


Please upload your Prizes/Awards evidence here.  

Upload a new document OR  Select document from repository

You can attach a maximum of 5 documents(s)

Please explain why you chose this option (Words allowed: 100)

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

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

  • Have made a significant contribution to postgraduate audit projects (e.g. 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 : 4
  • Have made a significant contribution to postgraduate audit projects (e.g. 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 : 3
  • Have made a significant contribution to postgraduate audit projects e.g. managed an audit project, made recommendations for changes to practice based on audit findings, but have not closed the audit loop : 2″
  • Have taken part in other people’s postgraduate audits, (ie data collection) or made other minor contributions, not led or designed the audit : 1
  • I have not particpated in an audit project : 0


Please upload evidence of Audit/Quality improvements this may include , Copy of audit project, Presentation handouts for project, Audit Plan/synopsis

 Upload a new document OR  Select document from repository

You can attach a maximum of 5 documents(s)

Please explain why you chose this option (Words allowed: 250)

Evidence of relevant academic and research achievements, and involvement in a formal research project

Relevant academic research achievements: 

Examples of evidence could include the following – 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

  • Completion of PhD with original research : 4
  • Significant involvement in research e.g. two-year MD with original research : 3
  • I have had some personal and direct involvement with planning or running a postgraduate research project : 2
  • I have had no involvement in any aspect of research : 0


Please upload your evidence here. 

Upload a new document OR  Select document from repository

You can attach a maximum of 5 documents(s)

Please explain why you chose this option (Words allowed: 250)

Teaching

  • I have made a major contribution to a local/national teaching programme including organising a programme or have a recognised qualification in teaching e.g. Diploma in Medical Education, Masters in Medical Education : 4
  • I am I have [sic] some experience in formal teaching Health Professionals (e.g. lectures) and/or I have some experience of formal teaching Health-related topics to a non-medical audience (e.g. lectures) : 3
  • I have attended a Teaching the Teachers course, Generic Instructors course or similar : 2
  • I have carried out informal teaching of colleagues (including nurses and medical students) : 1
  • I have not contributed to teaching : 0


Please upload your evidence of teaching here.  Your evidence should be combined into 1 pdf and can include, Original certificate for teaching qualification, Letter confirming attainment of teaching qualification, Letter confirming involvement in a teaching programme, Copy/copies of teaching completed and feedback received

Upload a new document OR Select document from repository

You can attach a maximum of 5 documents(s)

Please explain why you chose this option (Words allowed: 250)

Academic Publications (undergraduate or postgraduate)

Academic Publications (undergraduate or postgraduate)

  • I am first author in more than one peer-reviewed publication as a postgraduate : 4
  • I am first author on one peer-publication as a postgraduate : 3
  • I am co-author in more than one peer-reviewed publication as a postgraduate : 2
  • I am co-author in one peer-reviewed publication as a postgraduate or I am an author of an undergraduate publication : 1
  • I have not published anything : 0


Please upload your academic publications evidence here.  Copy of publication/s underlining your name. Do not include abstracts these will not be counted.  Your evidence should be combined into 1 pdf  

 Upload a new document OR Select document from repository

You can attach a maximum of 5 documents(s)

Please explain why you chose this option (Words allowed: 250)

Presentations (excluding audit presentations)

Presentation (excluding audit presentations)

  • I have presented at a regional, national or international meeting : 4
  • I have presented at a local meeting : 2
  • I have made a departmental presentation : 1
  • I have made no presentations : 0


Please upload your Presentations evidence here.  Your evidence should be combined into 1 pdf

Copy of presentation and copy of event programme

Upload a new document OR Select document from repository

You can attach a maximum of 5 documents(s)

Please explain why you chose this option. (Words allowed: 250)

Posters

  • I have achieved a poster at a regional, national or international meeting : 2
  • I have achieved a poster at a local or departmental meeting : 1
  • I have achieved no posters : 0


Please upload your Poster evidence here:

Your evidence should be combined into 1 pdf

Upload a new document OR  Select document from repository

You can attach a maximum of 5 documents(s)

Please explain why you chose this option (Words allowed: 250)

Self-Reflective Practice

  • 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. : 4
  • 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 : 2
  • Little evidence of feedback or reflection – limited awareness of the relationship between health and work : 1
  • No evidence of reflection : 0


Please upload your self-reflective practice evidence here.  Your evidence should be combined into 1 pdf

Upload a new document OR Select document from repository

You can attach a maximum of 5 documents(s)

Please explain why you chose this option (Words allowed: 300)

Evidence Index

Please upload your index page to help the validators navigate through your evidence.  Index templates can be downloaded from the document library for this vacancy.  Please list all evidence you have uploaded as part of this self-assessment in the order it will appear.  The document should be named ‘00Index.pdf’.

Upload a new document OR Select document from repository

You can attach a maximum of 1 documents(s)

Prioritisation (2 of 2)

Prioritisation task for Occupational Medicine Recruitment 

Starting with the highest priority (number 1) to the lowest (number 8) please number your entries. 

There cannot be joint priorities: [NB – Some of the statements appeared on Oriel incomplete, ending mid-sentence or mid-word.]

  • One of the OH nurses has requested to speak with you about a high-risk needle stick injury, which took place this morning, and to assess whether post-exposure prophylaxis is indicated.
  • A dentist has had his Hepatitis B viral load routinely checked by one of the nurses as part of an already established monitoring programme regarding fitness to undertake exposure prone procedures. The nurse would like you to interpret [Sic. There could be more to this sentence?]
  • You assessed a worker in clinic this morning who is still attending work in his role as an HGV driver. Having assessed him, you do not feel he is fit to drive to Group 2 standard. You have not yet dictated your report to management. 
  • A member of Human Resources has emailed you to inform you that a worker who you assessed last month (and whom you felt was unfit for work) has subsequently been posting on social media photographs of himself playing football for a loc [sic]
  • A member of the Health and Safety team has contacted you to advise that the results of a recent noise survey undertaken in the catering department of a hospital have now been received. He would like to discuss with you whether noise h [sic]
  • One of the secretaries has taken a message from a Ward Manager who called 10 minutes ago voicing concerns regarding the behaviour of one of the nurses on the ward at present and, in particular, whether she may be under the influence o [sic]
  • A letter of complaint from an individual that you had seen in clinic.
  • A draft policy for Blood borne viruses to be read and commented on. The policy committee meeting is in 5 days.

Please explain why you ranked your list this way focusing on the top two and bottom two priorities. (Words allowed: 500)