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.
Also called: Aerospace Medicine Physician, Environmental Health Physician, Occupational Health Physician (OHP), Occupational Medicine Officer, Occupational Medicine Physician, Occupational Physician
Median pay
$265,930
Pay for the broader BLS group “Physicians, All Other”
Pay range (10th–90th)
$69,170 – $452,360
People employed
342,720
Whole BLS group
Holland code
ISC
Investigative · Social · Conventional
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Do you want variety, with new tasks often?
- 2.Do you want a lot of freedom to make your own decisions?
- 3.Are you OK working more than 40 hours a week?
- 4.Do you want to lead or coordinate other people’s work?
The hard parts
- Tight deadlines are common
- Mistakes can have serious consequences
Preventive Medicine Physicians pay by state
Highest-paying states
Annual median pay by state (49 states and DC with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, for the broader group “Physicians, All Other”.
What preventive medicine physicians do
- 01Direct or manage prevention programs in specialty areas such as aerospace, occupational, infectious disease, and environmental medicine.
- 02Document or review comprehensive patients' histories with an emphasis on occupation or environmental risks.
- 03Identify groups at risk for specific preventable diseases or injuries.
- 04Perform epidemiological investigations of acute and chronic diseases.
- 05Supervise or coordinate the work of physicians, nurses, statisticians, or other professional staff members.
- 06Design or use surveillance tools, such as screening, lab reports, and vital records, to identify health risks.
Skills that matter most
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Writing
- Monitoring
Knowledge
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Biology
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Public Safety and Security
Work styles that stand out
- Cautiousness
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Cooperation
- Achievement Orientation
- Social Orientation
Education and first steps
Share of workers by required education, as reported to O*NET.
How people get started
- Usually needs a graduate degree (O*NET Job Zone 5).
- Related work experience: over 2 years, up to and including 4 years.
- On-the-job training: none or short demonstration.
- A professional certification is often expected.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from preventive medicine physicians
- Epidemiologists89% · —
- Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary80% · —
- Genetic Counselors80% · —
- Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary80% · —
- Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary78% · —
Majors that lead here
- Medicine
- Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy
- Pain Management
- Combined Medical Residency/Fellowship Program, General
- Family Medicine/Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine Combined Specialty Program
- Family Medicine/Preventive Medicine Combined Specialty Program
- Internal Medicine/Medical Genetics and Genomics Combined Specialty Program
- Internal Medicine/Preventive Medicine Combined Specialty Program
- Medical Genetics and Genomics/Maternal-Fetal Medicine Combined Specialty Program
- Pediatrics/Medical Genetics and Genomics Combined Specialty Program
- Pediatrics/Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Combined Specialty Program
- Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility/Medical Genetics and Genomics Combined Specialty Program
From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.