Background: The paper presents conceptual assumptions and objectives of the research project on self-assessed usefulness of competencies acquired by physicians during postgraduate specialist training in occupational medicine, research methods, characteristics of the study population and the analyzed relationships between social and demographic variables. Material and Methods: In 2006, the field study was carried out in a randomly drawn group of 813 occupational/industrial medicine physicians who completed specialization training in different training centers and 15 experts (directors of voivodeship centers of occupational medicine and specialization tutors). Two research methods were employed, a questionnaire mailed to physicians and interviews held with experts. Results: The group of respondents was moderately feminized (57% of women) and characterized by relatively high mean age (55 years); 50% of respondents completed their specialization before and 50% after 1990; 48% completed it in institutes of occupational medicine in Łódź and Sosnowiec and 52% in other centers; 62% are employed in non-public health care institutions and 58% run private practice; 55% are employed in more than one place. Conclusions: The analysis of relationships between social and demographic variables shows that the gender infl uences the place of specialization to some degree, the period of specialization, kind and number of workplaces to a higher degree, but does not infl uence holding a managerial position. The age considerably differentiates the place of specialization and the number of workplaces. There is some relationship between the number of workplaces and holding a managerial post on the one hand and place of specialization on the other. Med Pr 2008;59(3):237-246