Study sheet: occupational physician

Having defined the role and skills of the occupational health physician in our occupational health physician fact sheet, let's now turn our attention to the lengthy studies that lead to this profession. The pathways into the French healthcare system are not always easy to understand or get to grips with. This article is designed to help you make sense of them.

What is an occupational physician?

The occupational physician is a health professional responsible for monitoring the physical and mental health of employees in relation to their professional activity. He or she does not provide curative care, but acts exclusively on a preventive basis. His role is to ensure that the workstation is adapted to the employee's state of health, and vice versa.

Faced with constantly changing working conditions, stress, physical and psychosocial risks, the occupational physician's career has become essential. Occupational physicians also act as mediators between companies and employees, helping to keep people in work, combating health inequalities and actively contributing to well-being in the workplace.

The academic path to becoming an occupational physician

Medical studies: a compulsory core curriculum

Before entering higher education, a future occupational physician must pass the baccalauréat, preferably in a scientific stream, to master the essential basics. They then have two options:

• Parcours Accès Santé Spécifique (PASS)
• Introduced in 2020 to replace the former Première Année Commune aux Études de Santé (PACES), the PASS is a year of study combining a health major with a miscellaneous minor. This structure not only diversifies skills, but also offers the possibility of reorientation.
• Students are assessed on the basis of continuous assessment and final exams.
• Students who are admitted to the program enter the health sector.
• Those who do not pass can reorient themselves towards their minor. They can retake the exam the following year.

The PASS reduces the pressure of the single PACES entrance exam and diversifies students' skills.

• The Health Access License (L.AS)
• Introduced in 2020 to diversify the range of health study courses on offer, the L.AS is a course combining any major (law, humanities, economics, etc.) with a specific health minor (biology, physiology, etc.).
• At the end of the first, second or third year, and if they have passed the minimum requirements, L.AS students can apply for health studies. They then sit specific exams. Depending on their performance, they may be rejected or admitted to the second year of medical school.

The L.AS allows students to follow a diversified pathway, encouraging skills and reorientation.

General medical studies

After the PASS or the L.AS (see above), studies to become an occupational physician are divided into two parts:

• The Diplôme de Formation Générale en Sciences Médicales (DFGSM): a three-year course (the PASS and L.AS count as the first) comprising theoretical courses in medical sciences and clinical placements in hospitals.
• The Diplôme de Formation Approfondie en Sciences Médicales (DFASM): a direct continuation of the DFGSM, this is a three-year course incorporating specialized courses and advanced internships in various hospital departments.

Externship examinations

During the last year of the second cycle, students must pass a series of tests which, depending on their results and rankings, will enable them to make their choice of specialty, as well as city. Here's the list:

• Épreuves dématérialisées nationales (EDN): these take place in October and account for 60% of the final grade. To pass, students must obtain a mark of at least 14/20 in the theoretical knowledge required by all doctors, regardless of their specialty.
  
  
• Objective and Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE): These are held in May and account for 30% of the final grade. They test students' ability to develop clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills. The minimum grade is 10/20.
  
  
• Academic progress grade: this continuous assessment takes into account the student's commitment, curriculum, mobility and level of English, and accounts for 10% of the final grade.

Specialization in occupational medicine

Once they have completed their general medical studies, students specializing in occupational medicine enter a four-year residency program. This course is divided into theoretical and practical training:

• Theoretical training: interns follow specific courses on occupational health, occupational risk prevention, pathophysiology of exposure, regulations and forensic medicine.
  
  
• Practical training: interns in occupational medicine carry out internships in a variety of settings: inter-company occupational health services, companies, labor inspectorates, occupational pathology centers, etc.

In addition, interns in occupational medicine must write and defend a thesis in order to obtain their doctorate. On completion of this specialization, he or she is awarded the Diplôme d'Etat de Docteur en Médecine, with a specialization in occupational medicine. After 10 to 11 years' study to become an occupational physician, he or she can exercise this key profession in the prevention and promotion of health in the workplace, and apply for job vacancies as an occupational physician.

If you'd like to find out more about recruiting doctors, take a look at our complete guide tomedicalrecruitment.

Internships in occupational medicine

Practical internshipsin occupational medicine play a fundamental role in the training of future practitioners. They enable gradual immersion in a variety of environments, including company occupational health departments, inter-company structures, public bodies and local authorities. In practical terms, interns are required to take part in site visits, carry out workstation analyses, contribute to the development of prevention plans, and conduct information and awareness-raising campaigns with employees.

This hands-on experience gives them a direct understanding of the issues involved in occupational health and risk prevention. Supervised by experienced occupational physicians, they benefit from individualized support, based on the transmission of practical knowledge, analytical methodologies and a professional posture adapted to the realities of the field. This mentoring reinforces their ability to intervene with rigor and discernment in sometimes complex contexts, reconciling medical expertise, regulatory requirements and human dynamics.

Skills developed during training

In-depth knowledge of public health and preventive medicine

The skills base of occupational health physicians is based first and foremost on solid training in public health, with a focus on occupationalrisk prevention . From the very first months of the course, the emphasis is on understanding the determinants of health in the workplace, identifying pathologies linked to working conditions, and identifying levers for action to improve the quality of life at work.

Students also learn how to assess exposure to physical, chemical, biological or psychosocial risks, analyze work situations and anticipate the onset of disorders. This proactive approach is at the heart of their mission: to prevent rather than cure, by fostering a culture of prevention at all levels of the company.

Mastering the legislative, regulatory and institutional framework

Occupational medicine is practised in a highly regulated legal environment. Students of occupational medicine receive rigorous training in the laws governing occupational health, employers' obligations and employees' rights, as well as in health, safety and ergonomic standards.

Occupational physicians learn how to interpret the complexity of this regulatory framework and apply it operationally in the field, in conjunction with social partners and institutions. A thorough understanding of legislative developments, civil and criminal liability, and legal monitoring systems are essential prerequisites for providing effective, compliant support to companies.

Developing interpersonal, pedagogical and ethical skills

In addition to their technical skills, future occupational health physicians are trained to act as mediators, advisors and, in some cases, arbitrators within the organization. They must be able to establish a climate of trust with a wide range of interlocutors: employees, managers, staff representatives, human resources departments and senior management.

Active listening, the ability to formulate clear, well-argued recommendations, adaptability of discourse according to the issues at stake and the profiles involved, as well as respect for medical confidentiality, are all part and parcel of their professional posture. The pedagogical dimension is also essential: the ability to explain occupational health issues, to run awareness-raising sessions, to change perceptions of occupational hazards, and to encourage adherence to collective prevention schemes.

Last but not least, occupational health physician training emphasizes ethical practice, particularly in the management of potential conflicts of interest between employee health and the company's economic constraints.

Did you like this article and would like to learn more? See our occupational physician salary sheet.