Fellow Accreditation

Fellowship Of The Faculty Of Occupational Health Nursing (FFOHN)

Fellowship recognises exceptional contribution, leadership and expertise within occupational health nursing and acknowledges sustained professional achievement.

Fellow Accreditation

Understanding The Requirements

Quick Eligibility Check

  • I have made significant contributions to occupational health nursing for at least 10 years.
  • I have had senior professional responsibility for at least 5 years.
  • I have at least an advanced level of proficiency for 80% of the competencies in the FOHN Professional Competency Guidance and an expert level of proficiency for several areas.
  • I can find 3 referees, of whom at least 1 is a Fellow of the FOHN or FOHN Board member, and at least 1 works outside my organisation.
  • I can provide an up-to-date Continuous Professional Development (CPD) record as part of my application.
  • I can provide my NMC Reflective Discussion document.

Professional Competencies

A checklist of professional competencies has been developed by FOHN as a guide to expected competencies for an occupational health nurse specialist.

It can be used in conjunction with a proficiency scale to show progress in breadth and depth of skills and expertise as your career progresses.

The checklist forms part of the application for Fellowship to help demonstrate breadth (through the number) and depth (through levels of proficiency) of claimed competencies.

If you are planning to upgrade to Fellowship, it might help you to complete the checklist as soon as you can. This will allow you to identify any areas where you may need further development.

Important
  • You must have at least an advanced proficiency level (4) in 80% of the competencies in the FOHN Professional Competency Checklist.
  • You must demonstrate expert proficiency levels (5) in several areas of competency.

Your Experience

Some of those who are invited to be Fellow have applied for or are already accredited at Advanced Specialist Level. If you are not already an Advanced Specialist Member of the FOHN, your application must show evidence of your professional experience. You must provide at least one piece of evidence for each of the 4 areas of competency on the Professional Competency Checklist.

Your Professional Responsibility

You should be able to demonstrate senior professional responsibility for at least 5 years covering a range of skills and abilities that are an integral part of professional and high-quality occupational health nursing practice.

  • Project management, team or capability group leadership within an occupational health context.
  • Significant financial or management responsibility within an occupational health context.
  • Leading, managing and developing approved occupational health courses.
  • Taking the lead in research programmes, supported by publications and presentations.
  • The active promotion, development and growth of occupational health within an organisation.
  • Planning occupational health contributions to programmes and controlling their progress and outcomes.
  • Working effectively across multidisciplinary teams and professional disciplines.
  • The development and mentoring of an occupational health team.
  • The development of occupational health standards and specifications.

Your Referees

Your referees must know you well enough to form a robust opinion of your professional work and status.

Their reports are an important part of your application and must show strong support for it.

Assessment Of Your Application

Two suitably qualified members of the Faculty’s Accreditation Board (FAB) will assess your application.

They may ask you to submit additional information if there are areas requiring clarification.

The application form will request, and the assessors will examine:

  • Your detailed job history.
  • The details of your work and responsibilities over the last 10 years.
  • Any awards and recognition you have received.
  • Your CPD record.
  • Your list of academic publications, published reports and books (if applicable).

They will look for service to the profession of occupational health and significant contributions to practice.

You will need to support your claim for eligibility with a 250-word statement, bringing your application together into a coherent argument.

This should not simply be a list of the contents of your application but a commentary that demonstrates your professional development and achievements.

All assessors follow specific written guidance and complete a checklist to ensure consistency and maintain a clear record of your application.

Fees & Membership

Simple Pricing

For all levels of accreditation, the cost of the application and three years of inclusion in the directory is £60.

In 2026 we are offering free application plus additional mentoring and support for the first 5 applicants at Fellow level.

If you are committed to having your professional knowledge, skills and experience in occupational health nursing recognised, apply for a place by emailing Diane Romano-Woodward at nurseaccreditation@som.org.uk.

Please include your full name as it appears on the NMC register together with your contact details, and in the subject line state the level of accreditation you wish to apply for.