Education and Training

Specialty Training

The PMETB has now merged with the GMC. In documents written before the merger, please read GMC for PMETB.

Higher Specialty Training in Occupational Medicine closely follows the rules and guidance operated by the four UK Health Departments. These Departments introduced a new postgraduate specialty training structure from August 2007. From that date entry into specialty training at the grade of Specialist Registrar (SpR) ceased and all doctors recruited into specialty training programmes from that date are known as Specialty Registrars (StRs). A Guide to Postgraduate Specialty Training (the “Gold Guide”) replaced the Guide to Specialist Registrar Training (the “Orange Book”) for new appointees.

SpRs in Occupational Medicine who were appointed prior to August 2007 may continue to train using the curriculum to which they were appointed, or may choose to switch to the new curriculum (before the end of December 2008) subject to advice from the Postgraduate Deanery and the Faculty. The “Orange Book” will continue to apply to those who remain on the old curriculum, as will the rules/guidance set out by the Specialist Training Authority (STA). Thus, for a transitional period running to 2011, the old and new training requirements will run in parallel and two Specialty Training Handbooks will exist, relating to old and new provisions.

The Specialty Training Handbook (4th Edition, April 08) relates to training beginning after 31 July 2007 and to trainees who switch to the new scheme before January 2009. It summarises information in the Gold Guide as well as special arrangements in relation to training in occupational medicine. For a more detailed account of some of the rules (e.g. those relating to the formal conduct of annual appraisals by Deaneries and mechanisms for appeal), please refer to the Gold Guide.

The Specialist Training Handbook (3rd Edition, April 08) relates to training beginning on or before 31 July 2007 and to trainees who have not switched to the new scheme.

For further information see the main Education and Training page.