OSCA occupation

264344 Public Health Physician

Provides the medical input into population-level planning for the prevention of health conditions, threats and disasters to maximise health across and within populations.

Major group: 2 Professionals
Unit group: 2643 Physicians
Edition: OSCA 2024
Skill level: Level 1

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OSCA 2024 is the current Australian occupation classification for storing, organising and reporting occupation information. Use this OSCA record for current Australian statistical and analytical classification work.

Some migration and administrative programs still specify ANZSCO 2022. Check the exact system named by the agency or form rather than replacing the code automatically.

Check the current ABS guidance on OSCA and ANZSCO use

Official ANZSCO correspondence

ANZSCO 253399 Specialist Physicians nec Partial correspondence in the ABS table

Role overview

Provides the medical input into population-level planning for the prevention of health conditions, threats and disasters to maximise health across and within populations.

Use this page to confirm the official title, the parent unit group, the task list and the related ANZSIC industry context before using the occupation in classification, reporting or migration-adjacent workflows.

Occupation facts

Skill level: 1
Major group: 2 Professionals
Sub-major group: 26 Health Professionals
Minor group: 264 Medical Practitioners
Unit group: 2643 Physicians

Tasks

Assesses and responds rapidly to urgent and evolving public health issues
Leads teams, public health responses, programs, projects and organisations designed to address health inequity and population health outcomes
Collects, analyses and applies data related to public health issues, and researches possible causes and links to other health determinants operating at the community level
Develops strategies to assist the implementation of programs that will prevent disease or promote health in the community
Advises senior public health officials about legislation and other strategies to improve the health and wellbeing of communities
Designs and evaluates disease screening programs and disease and hazard surveillance systems
Evaluates health services and public health programs, health technologies and interventions
Advises and manages the public health management of environmental health risks
Informs the management of public health emergencies and infectious disease outbreaks and control measures
May advise and work in partnership on the public health issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Skill level guidance

Skill level helps place the occupation inside the ABS hierarchy. Use it as a classification cue, then check the actual task list and occupational context before making a decision for HR, visa or reporting work.

How to use this occupation page

Start with the official OSCA title and task list. Then confirm the parent unit group and compare the related occupations on this page if the job title is broad, overlapping or used differently across employers.

The ANZSIC links are there to help when the same occupation appears across several industries and you need the business-side classification as well.

Related occupations

Industry context

Alternative titles

No alternative titles are currently attached.

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Compare OSCA 264344 with related occupations

Compare roles in the same OSCA unit group by their official definition, skill level, tasks and recognised alternative titles.

Comparison point	Current code264344 Public Health Physician	264331 General Medicine Physician	264332 Cardiologist
Official role definition	Provides the medical input into population-level planning for the prevention of health conditions, threats and disasters to maximise health across and within populations.	Investigates and diagnoses internal human disorders and diseases, and administers treatment for adults.	Investigates, diagnoses and treats conditions of the human heart.
Skill level	Skill Level 1	Skill Level 1	Skill Level 1
Key tasks	Assesses and responds rapidly to urgent and evolving public health issues Leads teams, public health responses, programs, projects and organisations designed to address health inequity and population health outcomes Collects, analyses and applies data related to public health issues, and researches possible causes and links to other health determinants operating at the community level Develops strategies to assist the implementation of programs that will prevent disease or promote health in the community	Undertakes comprehensive systematic assessment of patients' problems and needs, both biomedical and psychosocial Requests laboratory tests, imaging and other diagnostic procedures, and interprets findings to assist diagnosis Assesses functional, psychological and comorbidity factors to make informed diagnoses Creates management plans that recognise treatment interactions with multisystem diseases and comorbidities	Consults and conducts assessments of patients to inform the management of both acute and chronic cardiovascular disease Requests laboratory tests, electrocardiograms, imaging, cardiac biopsies and other diagnostic procedures, and interprets findings to assist diagnosis Performs diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, such as cardiac stress tests, cardiovascular surgery, angioplasty, heart catheterisations and inserting pacemakers Prescribes medication and administers treatment as primary and secondary prevention strategies in cardiovascular disease

Comparison uses occupation definitions, skill levels, tasks and title variants from the ABS OSCA data files.

In this section

Official source

Official source: ABS OSCA 2024 release and correspondence tables
Last reviewed: 2026-04-17

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