Environmental Health Officer-Navy Active Duty

Qualifications & Requirements

A degree from a four-year college or university is a minimum educational requirement to become a Commissioned Officer. You must also attend Officer Training. There may be exceptions to the degree requirements based on extensive service experience.

To qualify for employment consideration as an Environmental Health Officer in the Navy Medical Service Corps, you must meet the following requirements.

Basic Requirements:

• Be a U.S. citizen currently practicing in the United States
• Hold a Bachelor’s or Master's degree in environmental health from an EHAC-accredited program, OR a Master's of Public Health degree with a concentration in environmental health from a CEPH-accredited college
• Completed coursework in environmental health, epidemiology, food safety, water quality, air quality, solid waste and wastewater management, communicable diseases, public health sanitation, vector control, toxicology, risk assessment, risk communication, biostatistics, and microbiology
• Be willing to serve a minimum of three years of Active Duty
• Be between the ages of 18 and 41
• Be in good physical condition and pass a full medical examination

Preferred Requirements:

• Certification as a Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) or Registered Sanitarian (RS) through the National Environmental Health Association or a state agency
• Masters applicants should have an undergraduate degree in environmental health or biological life sciences. Physical science degrees, such as chemistry and physics, may be acceptable with additional coursework in the life sciences, such as microbiology, zoology or human physiology
• Field experience in an environmental health-related occupation
• Certification as a Registered Environmental Health Specialist or Registered Sanitarian through the National Environmental Health Association or a state agency
• Completed graduate-level coursework with GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale

Responsibilities

Navy Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) focus on the prevention and control of diseases in Navy and Marine Corps populations. In this role, your responsibilities may include:

• Determining effective methods of assessing threats to public health
• Conducting ongoing disease and environmental surveillance
• Identifying potential dangers and developing countermeasures for actual and potential threats
• Providing guidance to Commanding Officers on matters relating to public health and sanitation
• Championing essential programs that protect public health and promote sanitary practices
• Earning a nationally recognized credential as a Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) from the National Environmental Health Association

This role covers many areas of specialization. As an EHO, your work may focus on:

• Food service sanitation and safety
• Public health sanitation
• Water and wastewater safety in both ashore and afloat environments
• Communicable disease control
• Risk communication
• Biostatistical and epidemiological threat assessment
• Thermal stress control
• Vector control
• Preventive medicine
• Disease outbreak prevention and investigation
• Bioterrorism defense