Navy Officer Subspecialty · Medical

REHAB Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

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

Overview

Physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians evaluate and treat injuries, illnesses, and disabilities affecting the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. They design patient-centered treatment plans to improve function and quality of life for conditions involving the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, joints, soft tissues, and limb loss.

Core Skills

  • physical medicine diagnosis
  • musculoskeletal evaluation
  • neurologic assessment
  • rehabilitation plan design
  • pain management
  • disability management
  • prosthetic rehabilitation
  • interdisciplinary care
  • functional outcome assessment

Civilian Software & Tools

  • eClinicalWorks EHR software
  • Microsoft Word
  • Allscripts PM
  • athenahealth athenaCollector
  • Automatic Data Processing AdvancedMD EHR
  • Benchmark Systems Benchmark Clinical EHR
  • Biodex Medical Systems Biodex Concussion Manager
  • Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR

Civilian Career Paths

  • Physician
  • Rehabilitation
  • Behavioral Health

Training & Development

Getting Started

  • Basic Life Support (BLS)
  • Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS)

Career Growth

  • American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Certification
  • American Board of Pain Medicine Certification

Also Common

  • Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS)
  • Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ)

What the Work Involves

  • Document examination results, treatment plans, and patients' outcomes.
  • Examine patients to assess mobility, strength, communication, or cognition.
  • Assess characteristics of patients' pain, such as intensity, location, or duration, using standardized clinical measures.
  • Provide inpatient or outpatient medical management of neuromuscular disorders, musculoskeletal trauma, acute and chronic pain, deformity or amputation, cardiac or pulmonary disease, or other disabling conditions.
  • Monitor effectiveness of pain management interventions, such as medication or spinal injections.

Related Occupations

  • Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric
  • Pediatric Surgeons
  • Cardiologists
  • Emergency Medicine Physicians

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

Defense contractor jobs for REHAB

Equivalent Roles in Other Branches

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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