Preventive Medicine Physicians

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.

Median Annual Wage: $187,200

Education: Post-doctoral training (83%); Doctoral degree (17%)

Projected Growth: Faster than average (15% to 21%)

Related Job Titles: Medical Director; Occupational Medicine Physician; Public Health Director; Public Health Officer

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Source: O*NET OnLine information for Preventive Medicine Physicians.

More Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Careers

  • Identify groups at risk for specific preventable diseases or injuries.
  • Design or use surveillance tools, such as screening, lab reports, and vital records, to identify health risks.
  • Teach or train medical staff regarding preventive medicine issues.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of prescribed risk reduction measures or other interventions.
  • Coordinate or integrate the resources of health care institutions, social service agencies, public safety workers, or other organizations to improve the community health.
  • Prepare preventive health reports including problem descriptions, analyses, alternative solutions, and recommendations.
  • Develop or implement interventions to address behavioral causes of diseases.
  • Design, implement, or evaluate health service delivery systems to improve the health of targeted populations.
  • Perform epidemiological investigations of acute and chronic diseases.
  • Provide information about potential health hazards and possible interventions to the media, the public, other health care professionals, or local, state, and federal health authorities.
  • 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.
  • Direct or manage prevention programs in specialty areas such as aerospace, occupational, infectious disease, and environmental medicine.
  • Deliver presentations to lay or professional audiences.
  • Document or review comprehensive patients' histories with an emphasis on occupation or environmental risks.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Preventive Medicine Physicians.

  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Preventive Medicine Physicians.

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