Where do Preventive Medicine docs work?

[Leukocyte]

I searched and searched but did not get a straight answer. Where do Preventive Medicine/Public Health docs work at? The ideal work place for these docs is in the public sector/government agencies, but it is IMPOSSIBLE for the government agencies to hire all the PM graduates. I imagine that getting hired as a PM doc in a government agency is very competetive, so not all PM graduates find work there. So where do the other PM graduates work? Are they forced to work in the private sector as "general practicioners" or in industry as "occupational medicine". Note: I am only talking about pulbic health PM docs, not its subcatagories like occupational medicine, areospace...

The government just cannot afford to hire all these graduating pulbic health PM docs, so where do the rest of the graduating public health PM docs work at? Frankly, if I did a residency in pulbic health PM, I would ONLY want to work in the government. Right?

Thanks

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[CerealBox]

As local/state public health officers, in government agencies (CDC), as administrators of health programs (for private and public organizations), in academics (teaching/research), in community health clinics... There are actually a shortage of highly qualified individuals to fill these roles.

 

[gutonc]

What makes you think you'll be happy doing PH stuff for the gummint? You've been miserable doing pretty much everything in medicine up to this point.

As CerealBox pointed out, there are plenty of jobs out there for Prev Med/Pub Health folks. But frankly, you need to think seriously (perhaps for the first time in your life) about what you really want out of a career and not just keep chasing the next "less sucky" thing.

 

[GeneMD2B]

General Preventive Medicine and Public Health is a great field. People have covered many of the settings well all ready and indeed many do work in government, but not all. And there is academia.

A facet of government work that wasn't mentioned is the military. Lots of interesting and varied opportunities.

There are many who work in industry, including insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies. A fair number are in clinical practice.

It isn't hard to get a job working for the government in public health ifyou are board certified in preventive medicine if that is what you would like to do.

I hope this helps some.