Careers

Career Description

There are more than 300,000 Airmen in the U.S. Air Force and countless contractors who work with them. As an Air Force Occupational Medicine (OM) Specialist, you'll play a key role in maintaining and protecting this valuable team. When treating patients, you'll have all the resources you need and the freedom to consult with OM physicians from other branches of the military. What you won't have is the burden of running a practice or worrying about insurance reimbursements.

Career Tasks

• Work closely with industrial hygienists, public health and safety specialists, health physicists, local leadership, unions, human relations, labor attorneys and fellow non-OM healthcare providers to deliver excellent occupational healthcare and preventive services to both civilian and active-duty employees
• Consult with fellow OM providers, specialists or labor attorneys by calling Air Force, Navy or Army specialists at bases and learning centers around the country
• Provide care and preventive programs to workers, Airmen and civilian contractors

Relevant Interests & Skills

You might like this career if you have interests in these areas:

• Health and Medicine
• Natural Science
• Business Operations and Administration

Becoming a Direct Commission Officer

To ease your transition into the Air Force, you'll enter a five-week training regimen designed to educate you on the ways of both the military and military healthcare. You'll participate in physical conditioning five days a week, leadership training and classroom studies.