Career Overview
Apply knowledge of general preventive medicine and public health issues to promote health care to groups or individuals, and aid in the prevention or reduction of risk of disease, injury, disability, or death. May practice population-based medicine or diagnose and treat patients in the context of clinical health promotion and disease prevention.
Also Known As
- Occupational Medicine Physician
- Physician
- Public Health Officer
- Public Health Physician
Alternate Job Titles
- Aerospace Medicine Physician
- Environmental Health Physician
- Occupational Health Physician (OHP)
- Occupational Medicine Officer
- Occupational Medicine Physician
- Occupational Physician
- Physician
- Preventive Medicine Officer
- Preventive Medicine Physician
- Preventive Medicine Specialist
- Primary Clinician
- Public Health Officer
- Public Health Physician
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Direct or manage prevention programs in specialty areas such as aerospace, occupational, infectious disease, and environmental medicine.
- Document or review comprehensive patients' histories with an emphasis on occupation or environmental risks.
- Identify groups at risk for specific preventable diseases or injuries.
- Perform epidemiological investigations of acute and chronic diseases.
- Supervise or coordinate the work of physicians, nurses, statisticians, or other professional staff members.
- Design or use surveillance tools, such as screening, lab reports, and vital records, to identify health risks.
- Direct public health education programs dealing with topics such as preventable diseases, injuries, nutrition, food service sanitation, water supply safety, sewage and waste disposal, insect control, and immunizations.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Biology
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Public Safety and Security
- Psychology
- Law and Government
- Administration and Management
- Therapy and Counseling
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Coordination
- Social Perceptiveness
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Oral Expression
- Inductive Reasoning
- Deductive Reasoning
- Oral Comprehension
- Problem Sensitivity
- Written Comprehension
- Speech Clarity
- Speech Recognition
- Written Expression
- Fluency of Ideas
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Attention to Detail
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Dependability
- Integrity
- Leadership Orientation
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Recognition
- Achievement
- Independence
- Working Conditions
- Relationships
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
On-the-Job Training: None or short demonstration
Education Details: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Experience Required: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- R
- SAS
- The MathWorks MATLAB
Tools & Equipment
- Automated blood pressure cuffs
- Automated external defibrillators AED
- Breathing protection equipment
- Desktop computers
- Digital medical thermometers
- Dosimetry badges
- Emergency eye wash stations
- Emergency shower stations
- Evacuated blood collection tubes
- Hearing test equipment
- Hyperbaric oxygen chambers
- Hypodermic syringes
- Laptop computers
- Manual blood pressure cuffs
- Mechanical stethoscopes
Work Environment
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Freedom to Make Decisions
Salary & Job Market
Wages reported for the broader Physicians, All Other occupational group (BLS 2024), which includes Preventive Medicine Physicians.
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $66,860 |
| Median | >$239,200 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | >$239,200 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 315,360
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Emergency Medicine Physicians
Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Median Salary: >$239,200
General Internal Medicine Physicians
Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Median Salary: $236,350
Family Medicine Physicians
Education: Doctoral Degree
Median Salary: $238,380
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians
Education: Doctoral Degree
Median Salary: >$239,200
Pediatricians, General
Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Median Salary: $210,130
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.