Public Health Physician
Healthcare
Apply knowledge of general preventive medicine and public health issues to promote health care to groups or individuals, and aid in the prevention or reduction of risk of disease, injury, disability, or death. May practice population-based medicine or diagnose and treat patients in the context of clinical health promotion and disease prevention.
In Malaysia
In Malaysia public health specialists mostly work for the Ministry of Health, leading district and state health offices on outbreaks, dengue, vaccination, food safety and health policy, rather than treating individual patients. Public Health is a recognised specialty on the National Specialist Register, which you must be on to practise as a specialist.
- How people get into it here
- After SPM, do a pre-university or foundation programme and a 5-year medical degree, then housemanship and service as a medical officer. Then complete at least 4 years of public health specialist training (e.g. MPH followed by a Doctorate in Public Health at UM, UKM, USM, UPM or other recognised universities) and register with the NSR.
- Government post
- Pegawai Perubatan Gred UD9 (Ministry of Health), later gazetted as Pakar Perubatan Kesihatan Awam after specialist training · starts at RM3,130 a month
Sources:nsr.org.mymmc.gov.mye-mjm.org
What you'd do all day
The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.
- 1Direct or manage prevention programs in specialty areas such as aerospace, occupational, infectious disease, and environmental medicine.
- 2Document or review comprehensive patients' histories with an emphasis on occupation or environmental risks.
- 3Supervise or coordinate the work of physicians, nurses, statisticians, or other professional staff members.
- 4Identify groups at risk for specific preventable diseases or injuries.
- 5Design or use surveillance tools, such as screening, lab reports, and vital records, to identify health risks.
- 6Perform epidemiological investigations of acute and chronic diseases.
- 7Evaluate the effectiveness of prescribed risk reduction measures or other interventions.
- 8Direct public health education programs dealing with topics such as preventable diseases, injuries, nutrition, food service sanitation, water supply safety, sewage and waste disposal, insect control, and immunizations.
- 9Provide information about potential health hazards and possible interventions to the media, the public, other health care professionals, or local, state, and federal health authorities.
- 10Teach or train medical staff regarding preventive medicine issues.
- 11Coordinate or integrate the resources of health care institutions, social service agencies, public safety workers, or other organizations to improve community health.
- 12Prepare preventive health reports, including problem descriptions, analyses, alternative solutions, and recommendations.
- 13Design, implement, or evaluate health service delivery systems to improve the health of targeted populations.
- 14Develop or implement interventions to address behavioral causes of diseases.
- 15Deliver presentations to lay or professional audiences.
Also known as
What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.
- OHP
- Physician
- Primary Clinician
- Public Health Officer
- Occupational Physician
- Public Health Physician
- Preventive Medicine Officer
- Aerospace Medicine Physician
- Occupational Medicine Officer
- Preventive Medicine Physician
How far is this from you?
Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.
1
Entry straight after SPM
2
SPM + sijil / short TVET course
3
Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)
4
Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)
Typical entry
Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route
Subjects that matter here
The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.
What you'd need to know
The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.
- Medicine and Dentistry95%
BiologyChemistry
- Biology88%
BiologyAdditional Science
- English Language86%
English
- Education and Training79%
- Public Safety and Security78%
- Psychology77%
Tools you'd use
Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.
What the work feels like
Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.
- Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
- Contact with other peopleConstant contact
- Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
- Leading or coordinating othersHigh
- Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
- Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
- Noisy environmentAlmost never
- Time walking or movingA little
AI and demand for this job
A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.
Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)
This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.
Pay in Malaysia
We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.
Where to check:
- JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
- DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
- SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
Check what you may qualify for
Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.
How to get here
Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.
Related careers
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About this information
This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.
O*NET occupation: Preventive Medicine Physicians
Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org