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Job outlook for occupational medicine physicians in the United States
Are occupational medicine physician jobs in demand?
Occupational medicine physician job and salary trends over time
Occupational medicine physician jobs over time
Occupational medicine physician job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 226 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 2,195 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 2,004 | 0.00% |
Average occupational medicine physician salary over time
Occupational medicine physician salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $199,058 | $95.70 | +2.5% |
| 2024 | $194,225 | $93.38 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $190,948 | $91.80 | --5.0% |
| 2022 | $200,928 | $96.60 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $196,679 | $94.56 | +4.7% |
Occupational medicine physician jobs by state
Most common states for occupational medicine physicians
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 227 | 26% |
| 2 | Vermont | 623,657 | 164 | 26% |
| 3 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 316 | 24% |
| 4 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 170 | 23% |
| 5 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 398 | 19% |
| 6 | Alaska | 739,795 | 135 | 18% |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 896 | 15% |
| 8 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 155 | 15% |
| 9 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 757 | 14% |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 871 | 13% |
| 11 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 172 | 13% |
| 12 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 854 | 12% |
| 13 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 372 | 12% |
| 14 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 340 | 12% |
| 15 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 230 | 12% |
| 16 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 82 | 12% |
| 17 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 69 | 12% |
| 18 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 784 | 11% |
| 19 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 454 | 11% |
| 20 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 195 | 11% |
Most common cities for occupational medicine physicians
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dubuque | 1 | 2% | $184,037 |
| 2 | West Des Moines | 1 | 2% | $183,593 |
| 3 | Duluth | 1 | 1% | $223,885 |
| 4 | Olathe | 1 | 1% | $186,655 |
| 5 | The Woodlands | 1 | 1% | $202,147 |
| 6 | Atlanta | 1 | 0% | $187,982 |
| 7 | New York | 1 | 0% | $168,383 |
| 8 | Phoenix | 1 | 0% | $207,382 |
Occupational Medicine Physician job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of occupational medicine physician experts
Campbell University
Colorado Mesa University
Marshall University
The University of Akron
Dalton State College
Washburn University
Albright College
Northeast Ohio Medical University
College of Our Lady of the Elms
Robert Agnello DO, FACOFP
Assistant Professor of Family MedicineCampbell University
Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy
What general advice would you give to an Occupational Medicine Physician?
Robert Agnello DO, FACOFP: Specialty choice can obviously make an impact on long term salary, remember it usually takes a lot longer to get through those specialties. Consider the following regardless of specialty:
Geography - Salaries can vary significantly based on location. Practicing in an underserved or rural area often leads to higher pay due to shortages of physicians. Major metropolitan areas also tend to have higher salaries.
Additional Skills - Gaining extra skills and training beyond the base requirements, such as proficiency in specialized procedures (enhancing your osteopathic manipulation skills), can allow you to negotiate higher pay. Consider obtaining a master's in health education as these can be appealing in medical school and residency education. These specialized abilities make you more valuable.
Experience - Salaries tend to rise with more years on the job. Completing a residency and developing an excellent reputation through years as a practicing DO leads to higher compensation potential. Newly graduated DOs will typically have lower earning power. Sometimes this can be offset with loan repayment from the company that hires, other incentives like moving allowance may also be of consideration.
Market - Economic factors, healthcare policies, and industry trends shape physician salaries. It helps to understand these conditions and how potential changes could impact earnings when planning your career path.
Consider loan repayment programs or forgiveness - Think about state financial incentives for practicing in a high needs area like family medicine or pediatrics. Also look into military, national health service corps and VA scholarships (HPSP) that pay for medical school and provide a stipend while you are training. Also, these scholarships provide better salaries during residency training.
What Occupational Medicine Physician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Robert Agnello DO, FACOFP: Multiple resources suggest the following could be more prevelant and important in the field of osteopathic medicine in the next 3-5 years.
Lifestyle Medicine: There's a growing interest in lifestyle medicine among osteopathic physicians. This field focuses on the treatment, reversal, and prevention of chronic disease by addressing root causes with evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic interventions.
Technology Integration: As technology continues to advance, it's becoming increasingly important for osteopathic physicians to be able to integrate and leverage these technologies in their practice.
Leadership and Advocacy: Skills in leadership and advocacy are becoming more important as the field grows and evolves. These skills can help osteopathic physicians advocate for themselves, their patients, and their profession.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration: The ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams is crucial. As health care becomes more integrated, osteopathic physicians will need to collaborate with a wide range of health professionals to provide comprehensive patient care.
Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT): OMT is a core skill for osteopathic physicians, and its importance is likely to continue or even increase as patients seek it out.
Youngmin Kim
Assistant Professor of PhysicsColorado Mesa University
Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Occupational Medicine Physicians?
Youngmin Kim: That would depend largely on the students upon how they reacted. Statistics do show that younger students, high schools, freshmen who just came out of online semesters in high school, suffered quality education especially in math and science. A number of students in my classes sort of dropped out when the university platform moved online or hybrid. It would also depend on the quality of lectures their faculties could deliver. At the same time, students with good level of self-motivation did achieve similarly. They would not have a lasting impact. We noticed that the changes tend to polarize the students depending on their willingness and circumstances in health and finance. On another note, the cheating rates did go up significantly-nation wide.
What general advice would you give to an Occupational Medicine Physician?
John Colclough: Be patient and stay informed. Many performers think their career is about the work in the rehearsal hall or in performance-not so, the real work is in the management of your business. Being an authority of WHO, WHAT and WHERE is key. WHO are the players in your market? The directors, actors, casting people, producing organizations, etc...these are who you need to know-your network. WHAT opportunities exist in your market? The theatres, video companies, universities (if you have an MFA you may be able to teach a class or two), Improvisation groups, any opportunity that allows you to grow your brand is worth your attention. And finally, WHERE are the opportunities-knowing your community and having a sense of how each company fits into the fabric of the community. Having a sense of where the company resides both geographically and virtually (web sites) and having a solid knowledge base of details of each company can inform your marketing tactics as well as provide you with specific details unique to each organization. Careers develop over time and keeping expectations realistic over the first year can be challenging. Be practical and methodical in your approach: save money (there's never enough), find a place to live (the best you can afford), find a side hustle (you're going to need money and routine), find out the lay of the land (WHO, WHAT, and WHERE), develop your skill set (take a class and meet colleagues), go to productions, screenings, workshops, document your growth (keep a journal or calendar to track your progress), celebrate your successes and be patient with your stumbles-Hard knocks are the best teachers!
What Occupational Medicine Physician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
John Colclough: This is a great question, and if I wish I had the answer. I do know this however, performers need to have a skill set that can subsidize their careers. The restaurant/bar industry, more than any other has answered this call. Unfortunately Covid-19 has impacted the restaurant/bar industry more than any other. So challenging on so many levels. What to do? Practical skills that correlate to an individual's unique interests seem like a good place to start. How can the performer utilize known skills to garner a paycheck? Everything from handyman/construction for those who excelled in their technical theatre classes, to personal assistants for those who have a flair for logistics could offer avenues for success if developed. With technology taking more of a central role in the industry, it's possible to enhance those skills during a gap year-this may not help with your monthly bottom line (financially speaking) but would make you better prepared once the year is over. Gap years are a perfect time to hone those skills that need a bit of TLC, for instance: dance classes, voice classes, picking up a second language or a musical instrument-anything that might add another skill set to the resume is worth the time and effort.
What skills stand out on Occupational Medicine Physician resumes?
Dr. Stephen Weeks: Generally, employers like to see "hands-on" skills for graduates. So, lab-based classes, internships, volunteer work (e.g., in hospitals or other health care settings), and experience in research labs look great on resumes. Because biology is such a diverse field, I cannot point to specific skills for the entire range of biology. Generally, however, having good writing skills will almost certainly be helpful for any biology career.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Occupational Medicine Physicians to find work opportunities?
Dr. Stephen Weeks: I do not know the answer to this question. Healthcare is the fastest growing job market in biology, and such jobs are located primarily in larger metropolitan areas across the country.
Marcela Armenta
Assistant Professor of Medical Laboratory TechnologyDalton State College
Department of Allied Health and Social Work
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Occupational Medicine Physicians in the next 5 years?
Marcela Armenta: Right now, our profession is in a critical shortage of employees, not just in my surrounding area where I currently reside, but throughout the United States; it has become a nationwide problem. Employment in this field is projected to continue to grow as more and more baby boomers are looking at early retirement and creating more vacancies that are unable to be filled with qualified and skilled laboratory professionals. Our students typically receive job offers in their final semester while doing their clinical internship.
What are the best companies to work for an Occupational Medicine Physician?
Brian Thomas Ph.D.: A degree in physics can open doors to working at companies in a variety of industries. Research and development teams at aerospace, computer, software, telecommunications, and other technical-focused companies employ people with degrees in physics at all levels. People trained in physics also work in other areas, including journalism, finance, even the entertainment industry. I don't know that I can recommend any specific companies, but generally, any company focused on technical solutions will likely be a good fit.
What experience really stands out on Occupational Medicine Physician resumes?
Justin Couchman Ph.D.: Even during the pandemic, the main things that stand out on a resume are internships and research experience. That might be online now or under strange new conditions, but still, get it where you can. Make an opportunity for yourself or suggest possible ways of getting involved in video conferences or online research. The methods are changing, but counselors are still working on Zoom and other platforms.
One of the most common interview questions is: "Describe a situation in which you faced great difficulty and how you handled it." Every recent graduate has been faced with great difficulty, and it is good to think about how you can handle it and pull as much good out of the situation as possible. In many ways forming your personal story is more comfortable today because there are many more challenges and many more opportunities to succeed.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Occupational Medicine Physicians to find work opportunities?
Julie Aultman Ph.D.: We need this future workforce to be innovative, to make important changes - from environmental and global warming initiatives (bioethicists who have a passion for environmental ethics) to being researchers and advocates for patients and others who might fall victim to the negative impact of the pandemic (clinical ethics, health humanities scholars). The transition to work will be slow, as the revitalization of our national economy, but there will be work.
We need these future minds more than anything right now. But again, mentors are going to be essential for helping these graduates get to that next phase in their lives. I am fully confident my dual-enrolled students (medical or pharmacy students who are also taking the Masters program in Medical Ethics and Humanities) will find work opportunities. For my traditional graduate students who are not in the health professions, there will be roles for these students in medicine and science (e.g., regulatory compliance).
However, I do encourage them to work toward a doctoral program as the MA degree is a non-terminal degree. I have had students receive work prior to the pandemic, and I would suspect similar opportunities post-pandemic, particularly in the sciences where ethics and compliance are so essential.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Occupational Medicine Physicians?
Janet Williams Ph.D.: Students destined for healthcare must always understand that every patient that comes into the clinic that presents flu virus symptoms might have something far more dangerous, such as SARS-CoV-2 or Ebola. Students must learn to adapt quickly and be prepared and conscientious when working with patients and human body fluids. I hope that the enduring impact for students would be the ability to adapt quickly and learn to exercise safe-practices to keep themselves and others safe and pathogen-free.