What is a Preventive Medicine Physician?

Career Description 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.

A Day in the Life of a Preventive Medicine Physician

• 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.
• Deliver presentations to lay or professional audiences.
• Document or review comprehensive patients’ histories with an emphasis on occupation or environmental risks.
• Supervise or coordinate the work of physicians, nurses, statisticians, or other professional staff members.
• Direct or manage prevention programs in specialty areas such as aerospace, occupational, infectious disease, and environmental medicine.

Preventive Medicine Physician Needed Skills

When polled, Preventive Medicine Physicians say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

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.

Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Other Preventive Medicine Physician Job Titles

• Preventive Medicine Physician
• Public Health Officer
• Regional Medical Director
• Primary Clinician
• Aerospace Medicine Physician

Preventive Medicine Physician Job Outlook

In the United States, there were 372,400 jobs for Physicians and Surgeons in 2016.

New jobs are being produced at a rate of 11.4% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 42,300 new jobs for Preventive Medicine Physicians by 2026. The BLS estimates 14,300 yearly job openings in this field per year.

The states with the most job growth for Physicians and Surgeons are New York, Florida, and Texas.

Watch out if you plan on working in Connecticut, Rhode Island, or South Dakota. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Do Preventive Medicine Physicians Make A Lot Of Money?

The average yearly salary of a Preventive Medicine Physician ranges between $60,280 and $208,000. The median salary for this occupation is $200,890.

How much do Physicians and Surgeons make in each U.S. state?

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
New Hampshire	$275,840
North Dakota	$266,510
Maine	$257,550
Montana	$247,260
Minnesota	$245,040
Alaska	$244,220
Idaho	$241,670
Wisconsin	$239,610
Washington	$239,080
Indiana	$237,470
Georgia	$235,060
Wyoming	$234,610
Tennessee	$231,960
New Mexico	$229,100
Arizona	$229,090
Hawaii	$228,470
South Dakota	$227,710
Nevada	$227,500
Kentucky	$223,770
West Virginia	$222,270
Connecticut	$221,870
Colorado	$219,310
Iowa	$219,300
Utah	$218,210
Delaware	$216,600
Ohio	$212,160
Rhode Island	$209,580
New Jersey	$208,820
California	$208,740
Massachusetts	$207,990
Florida	$205,020
Missouri	$203,440
Oregon	$202,750
Texas	$199,370
Virginia	$199,080
North Carolina	$198,040
Maryland	$196,210
Pennsylvania	$195,810
Kansas	$191,430
South Carolina	$185,210
Louisiana	$183,920
Illinois	$183,780
Alabama	$183,510
District of Columbia	$182,910
Michigan	$181,760
Vermont	$176,520
Mississippi	$174,340
New York	$171,060
Arkansas	$165,290
Nebraska	$161,880
Oklahoma	$155,130

Tools & Technologies Used by Preventive Medicine Physicians

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Preventive Medicine Physicians may use on a daily basis:

• R
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Office
• The MathWorks MATLAB
• SAS
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Access

Where Preventive Medicine Physicians Work

Other Jobs You May be Interested In

Those thinking about becoming Preventive Medicine Physicians might also be interested in the following careers:

• Chemistry Professors
• Surgeons
• Forestry & Conservation Science Professors

Those who work as Preventive Medicine Physicians sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:

• Family and General Practitioners
• Obstetricians and Gynecologists

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons