Also called: Public Health Physician, County Health Officer
A doctor whose 'patient' is an entire community, working to stop disease before it starts.
As a county health officer, decides whether to close a beach after a bacteria spike, leads the response to a measles outbreak, and testifies to lawmakers about vaping among teens. Some work for the CDC or the military.
Estimate; government roles pay less than clinical medicine.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Professional degree (MD, JD, DVM…), about 13 years after high school. Medical degree plus a preventive medicine residency that includes a Master of Public Health.
Ways in: Professional school, Graduate school. Training cost: Over $150k.
Majors to look at: Public Health, Epidemiology, Biology, Pre-Medicine.
Growing about average. Small specialty.
Low risk for 10 years. AI speeds surveillance dashboards and literature reviews; licensed judgment calls on closures, outbreaks and policy stay with the physician.
Classes: AP Biology, AP Statistics, Chemistry, Government.
Official data: O*NET occupation 29-1229.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.