Information for students
Information for students
Occupational Health assessments and support from Student Advice and Wellbeing
Introduction
You have applied for a programme of study which will lead to a vocational qualification. As a consequence, the University has a duty to undertake an occupational health screening to ensure that you are fit to train for your chosen career. You may be asked to attend appointments to assess your fitness to study or your entitlement to financial or academic support and some students may find this confusing. This leaflet is designed to alleviate any concerns you may have concerning the occupational health process and how it fits with other support for you as an individual.
Why do I need to undergo this assessment?
The standards for fitness to train are set for all universities by national regulatory organisations. The main purpose of the occupational health assessments is to protect the safety of patients, pupils or clients. It is also intended to identify support measures which are needed for students to train effectively and safely.
What happens during the occupational health assessment?
As part of the occupational health assessment, you may be asked to see an Occupational Health Nurse. If you have declared a disability or functional impairment which could be relevant to your fitness to train, the Nurse may ask you questions about your normal day to day activities, because these are specified in the legal definition of disability. Information about your medical condition or disability, your general level of functioning and the national fitness standards will be used to reach a conclusion about your fitness to train and any support you need. If there are significant concerns about your fitness to train, you may be referred to the Occupational Physician.
What type of questions am I likely to be asked?
The questioning is intended to ascertain the severity of your disability or medical condition and will always be appropriate to the medical condition, functional impairment and fitness standards. Please be assured that questions will always be designed to assess fitness to train and ensure safety of patients, pupils or clients. This leaflet is intended to explain this process, but if you want further clarification, please raise this with the Occupational Health Nurse during your assessment. You may be asked about normal day-to-day activities such as mobility, manual dexterity, hearing, eyesight, reading and writing, relevant to your fitness to train. You may be asked about the impact of your disability or medical condition on your ability to function every day. Further information is available from the equality and human rights website at; http://www.equalityhumanrights.com .
What are the likely outcomes of the assessment?
Please be assured that there are very few cases of students who are unable to continue on their programme of study due to the fitness to practise regulations. However, there will be some cases where students do not meet the mandatory fitness standards. In these cases, it is usually possible for the student to complete an alternative course of study with appropriate support in place.
Dyslexia and specific learning difficulties
Please note that due to differing definitions used with regards to dyslexia and specific learning disorders, Occupational Health Unit staff may recommend that you are fit to train, without any adjustments to your training course, even if you have a mild impairment of function, as long as the safety of patients, pupils or clients is assured. The recommendation from the Occupational Health Unit does not affect eligibility for support through Student Advice and Wellbeing or through the Disabled Students' Allowance.
Further support and advice
You can take a friend or colleague with you to the assessment if you wish, but your friend or colleague will not be permitted to debate the medical evidence or your fitness to train with the Occupational Health professional. The Student Advice and Wellbeing services provide professional advice and support to those students who need support with study and training. This is a separate role from the professional services provided by the Occupational Health Unit and is not intended to assess your fitness to train. Occupational Health Unit staff may refer you to Student Advice and Wellbeing and vice versa.
Contact details
Disability team Occupational Health Unit
Via Student Zones within the LRC 68 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool
0151 904 6052 0151 231 3319
disability@ljmu.ac.uk ohadmin@ljmu.ac.uk
