• Clodagh Cashman and Andy Slovak.
• Irish Medical Organization-International Affairs, Dublin 2, Ireland. clodaghcashman@health.ie
• Occup Med (Lond). 2005 Jun 1; 55 (4): 308-11.

BackgroundThis paper reports on the nature of specialist training in occupational medicine (OM) in Europe from a survey of representatives from the Occupational Medicine section of the European Union of Medical Specialists/Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes (UEMS).AimsTo analyse current differences existing in the education and training requirements to become a specialist in OM in UEMS countries.MethodsCross-sectional survey of representatives from 14 European countries.ResultsWhile undergraduate training duration varied slightly, there is marked variation in postgraduate training for OM in UEMS countries. The countries surveyed outlined concerns for the funding of training, continuing professional development, research requirements and recruitment to the specialty.ConclusionThere is a marked variation in postgraduate training in OM throughout UEMS countries. The variation between postgraduate training programmes is not consistent with UEMS charter requirements and because of national regulation purposes presents a barrier to the movement of migrant professionals within Europe. This study serves as a focus for further research into training routes and standards of specialization in OM in Europe.

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