Navy Officer Subspecialty · Medical

15K0 Preventive Medicine, General

An officer subspecialty earned alongside a primary designator, marking advanced education or experience in this field.

Overview

A general preventive medicine physician works to prevent disease and injury across populations rather than focusing only on individual treatment. The physician's work includes epidemiology, surveillance, immunization, sanitation, environmental health, health policy, and prevention program management.

Core Skills

  • population health assessment
  • epidemiologic analysis
  • disease surveillance
  • immunization program management
  • environmental health review
  • occupational risk assessment
  • health policy development
  • public health reporting
  • program evaluation

Civilian Software & Tools

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

Civilian Career Paths

  • Physician
  • Public Health
  • Emergency Management
  • Administration

Training & Development

Getting Started

  • Certified in Public Health (CPH)
  • Basic Life Support (BLS)

Career Growth

  • American Board of Preventive Medicine Board Certification
  • Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES)
  • Certified Physician Executive (CPE)

Also Common

  • Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS)

What the Work Involves

  • Direct or manage prevention programs in specialty areas such as aerospace, occupational, infectious disease, and environmental medicine.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Related Occupations

  • Clinical Nurse Specialists
  • Emergency Medicine Physicians
  • General Internal Medicine Physicians
  • Family Medicine Physicians

Typical preparation for these civilian roles: graduate-level education or extensive experience.

Defense contractor jobs for 15K0

Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.

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