Occupational Health Requirements

The following vaccinations are mandatory for all students on clinical courses before you begin your studies:

• BCG

• Hepatitis B

• Meningococcal meningitis

• MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)

• Pertussis (whooping cough)

If you do not have any of the vaccinations listed above, please contact your GP to arrange for these as soon as possible. Further information can be found in the FAQs below. 

Decisions about fitness to study and practise are made by the Occupational Health department during an appointment. The Occupational Health team can discuss any concerns you might have during the application process and can be contacted directly on +44(0)20 8725 1661 or by email.

For offer holders Medicine MBBS (all lengths), Paramedic Science BSc, and Physician Associate Studies only:

When you begin your degree (after enrolment), the Occupational Health department will take a blood test (ID-validated sample) to screen for HIV and Hepatitis C to ensure you are able to work in an EPP (Exposure Prone Procedure) environment. If this screening returns a positive result, Occupational Health will provide guidance to support you to continue on your course. You are not required to obtain this screening before enrolment.

 We want to make sure we can support you through your studies.

If you suffer or have suffered from a serious illness (physical or psychological), or have a disability or specific learning difficulty, please let us know. St George’s is committed to supporting our students and will explore all reasonable adjustments to support you to thrive on your course.

Please contact our Disability Advisor as soon as possible with details to help us establish whether your health history or disability is likely to affect your ability to study or practise. This will also give us sufficient time to carry out a detailed assessment, obtain reports and organise additional expert assessments if required.

There are very few reasons why someone cannot study with us, but occasionally our Disability Advisor or a member of the St George's Trust's Occupational Health department may advise that an applicant is not fit to study immediately which could result in a deferral or a withdrawal. 

You will need to compete an Occupational Health check (and your DBS check) as part of your fitness to practise requirements if you are holding a firm offer to study one of the courses below.

When admitting students to study and practise on healthcare courses, St George’s has an obligation to provide a safe environment for both the patients that you will encounter and to you as a student. In order to do this, we require all healthcare students to complete our fitness to practise requirements, which consist of an occupational health check, and a DBS check.

Completing your fitness to practise requirements is an important part of preparing to study at St George’s. You may not receive an unconditional offer or enrol if you have not completed both requirements.

We suggest you submit your Occupational Health Questionnaire check as soon as possible. For most offer holders, the deadline for forms to be received is 15 July 2024. The assessment of your form will then take place before enrolment.

Costs for the Occupational Health check varies depending on how many additional vaccines you may need, and how much the GP charges for completion of the form. You are responsible for meeting all of the costs associated with this check.

If you have qualified under our Contextual Admissions schemes, you may be eligible for a Fitness to Practise bursary to assist with these costs. 

Please continue to chase your GP for the information you require as it remains your responsibility to ensure a completed GP Report and additional documents are submitted. Failure to do so may mean you are not issued an unconditional offer, or allowed to enrol.  

If the deadline is approaching, you are advised to email Admissions to discuss your situation. We may be able to issue a letter to your GP that will assist with your request.

If you live in a country where General Practitioners are not available, the GP Report can be completed by a family doctor, or equivalent, or any physician who has provided treatment to you in the past. They will need to have access to your medical records to complete the questions we have in the GP Report.

If you are from the UK, you will need to register with a GP in order to have the form completed.

If you are still unsure, please contact our Occupational Health department who will consider your individual circumstances.

If you are unable to obtain one of the required vaccines, the Occupational Health department may be able to administer the required dose for you. Please submit your Occupational Health Questionnaire with as much information as possible; the Occupational Health department will then be in touch to discuss this.

Please be aware that it remains your responsibility to obtain the relevant vaccines so relying on the Occupational Health department should be considered a last resort. Further advice can be found by contacting the St George's Trust's Occupational Health department directly by email. 

Deferred from 2023, to enrol in 2024

If you have deferred entry and are due to start your course in 2024, you may not need to complete another occupational health check. Please follow the instructions for Deferred Offer Holders.

Deferred from 2024, to enrol in 2025

If you have deferred your offer and are due to start your course in 2025, please still complete your occupational health check as detailed above, as this is a condition of your offer. In 2025, you will be able to complete a declaration form if there have been no changes to your health.

We do not currently require you to have been vaccinated against Covid-19.

You will be asked to provide details of whether you have or haven’t been vaccinated against Covid-19 on your Occupational Health Questionnaire for our records.

Potential changes to Covid vaccination requirements 

We are guided by Government guidelines and therefore change our requirements in line with their advice. This means we will introduce a Covid-19 vaccination requirement before or at the start of your studies if mandated by the Government.

All applicants must complete an Occupational Health check by the deadline, but you might be able to submit all of the required information remotely, or via a nominated representative. The GP Report can often be completed without you present, so a relative or trusted friend collect this from the GP on your behalf. It remains your responsibility to meet this requirement, and without an Occupational Health submission, you may not be issued an unconditional offer, or allowed to enrol.