Occupational Medicine Physician

Duties and Responsibilities:

The major role of the occupational and environmental physician is to evaluate the interaction between work and health.  The clinical occupational and environmental physician responsible for employee health must:  

1. Have a general knowledge of worksite operations and be familiar with the toxic properties of materials used by employees and the potential hazards and stressors of work processes;

1. Be qualified to determine an employee's physical and emotional fitness for work;

1. Be capable of diagnosing and treating occupational and environmental diseases and competently handling injuries;

1. Possess knowledge of rehabilitation methods; health education techniques; sanitation; workers' compensation laws; local, state, and federal regulatory requirements; and the systems for maintaining medical records; and

1. Be able to organize and manage the delivery of health services.

Salary:$178,251-$240,795

Education Required:

Doctoral Degree is usually needed for this career. Most applicants to medical school have at least a bachelor's degree, and many have advanced degrees. Students must complete undergraduate work in biology, chemistry, physics, math, and English. Students also take courses in the humanities and social sciences. In addition, some students volunteer at local hospitals or clinics to gain experience in a healthcare setting.

Demand:  

As preventive medicine specialists, occupational physicians are in high demand as primary care providers. The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), founded in 1916, today represents just 4,500 American physicians, compared to the estimated 209,000 in primary care in the United States, and 624,434 overall physicians involved in direct patient care.

Reflection: The Occupational Medicine Physician has a great demand in my belief. This makes me think that there are a great number of students and people who are willing to become one someday. Also, maybe they have already started there education requirements to this profession. However, I think I can stick to something less about reading and doing, and more about action.