What Do Preventive Medicine Physicians Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

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. They also direct or manage prevention programs in specialty areas such as aerospace, occupational, infectious disease, and environmental medicine.

Other tasks include:

• Identify groups at risk for specific preventable diseases or injuries.
• 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.
• Supervise or coordinate the work of physicians, nurses, statisticians, or other professional staff members.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of prescribed risk reduction measures or other interventions.
• Deliver presentations to lay or professional audiences.
• Design, implement, or evaluate health service delivery systems to improve the health of targeted populations.

We asked Preventive Medicine Physicians how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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74% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 82% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

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Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Preventive Medicine Physicians supervise or coordinate the work of physicians, nurses, statisticians, or other professional staff members. They direct or manage prevention programs in specialty areas such as aerospace, occupational, infectious disease, and environmental medicine.

A typical day for a Preventive Medicine Physician will also include:

• Evaluate the effectiveness of prescribed risk reduction measures or other interventions.
• 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.
• Document or review comprehensive patients’ histories with an emphasis on occupation or environmental risks.
• Coordinate or integrate the resources of health care institutions, social service agencies, public safety workers, or other organizations to improve community health.
• Design, implement, or evaluate health service delivery systems to improve the health of targeted populations.

We asked some Preventive Medicine Physicians a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	93% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	53% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	90% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	23% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	0% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	37% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Preventive Medicine Physicians also identify groups at risk for specific preventable diseases or injuries. They may also teach or train medical staff regarding preventive medicine issues.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Preventive Medicine Physicians Deliver presentations to lay or professional audiences. They might also Design, implement, or evaluate health service delivery systems to improve the health of targeted populations.

In addition, they Design or use surveillance tools, such as screening, lab reports, and vital records, to identify health risks.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them 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.

To some Preventive Medicine Physicians, it is also their responsibility to Prepare preventive health reports including problem descriptions, analyses, alternative solutions, and recommendations.

Working life

More than 40 hours per week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Preventive Medicine Physician, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/healthcare/physicians-and-surgeons.htm

http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home.html

http://www.ama-assn.org/

http://www.abms.org/