Preventive Medicine Specialist (91S)
Medical and Emergency Army MOS Information

Posted Thursday, November 24, 2005

• Enlisted
• Active Duty
• Army Reserve

Preventive medicine is integral to maintaining the health and well-being of all Army Soldiers and personnel. Preventive Medicine Specialists are the central members of the Medical Services Corps Preventive Medicine Sciences team, which is charged with studying and preventing the spread of disease and infection within the Army.

Preventive Medicine Specialists are primarily responsible for conducting or assisting with preventive medicine inspections, surveys and preventative medicine laboratory procedures. They also supervise preventive medicine facilities or serve on preventive medicine staffs.

Some of your duties as a Preventive Medicine Specialist may include:

• Conducts preventive medicine inspections
• Organize water, food sanitation, entomological, epidemiological surveillance programs
• Analyzes and evaluates collected data
• Develops community health education programs
• Assists with preventive medicine laboratory procedures
• Supervises technical and administrative functions of preventitive medicine

Training:

Job training for a Preventive Medicine Specialist consists of nine weeks of Basic Training, where you'll learn basic Soldiering skills, and 15 weeks of Advanced Individual Training and on-the-job instruction, including practice in testing specimens. Part of this time is spent in the classroom and part in the field. Some of the skills you'll learn are:

• Sanitation inspection procedures
• Study of parasites and diseases affecting humans
• Bacteriological analyzes of potable water

Helpful Skills:

Helpful attributes include:

• An interest in biology, chemistry and algebra
• An interest in scientific and technical work
• An ability to follow detailed procedures precisely

Advanced Responsibilities:

Advanced level Preventive Medicine Specialists supervise and train other Soldiers within the same discipline.