US Public Health Service
Benefits of Service: Work/Life Balance
- 30-day paid leave per year that begins to accumulate on the first month of active duty - Maternity/paternity leave, administrative leave for CME, sick leave as required - Schedules specific to the position you are filling with potential for weekends off, federal holidays off, compressed schedule, telework, etc.
Deployment role: Commissioned Corps Officers in COVID-19 Response
- >4,500 Officer Deployments - 200,000 Deployment Days - at the forefront of the COVID-19 response serving in multiple roles: leadership, operations, screening, testing, quarantine, case management, vaccinations, and human services
The Surgeon General
- America's chief health educator - responsible for giving Americans the best scientific info available on how to improve their health and reduce the risk of illness and injury - reports to the Assistant Secretary for Health (principal advisor to the Secretary on public health and scientific issues) - appointed by the President of the US w/ the advice and consent of the US Senate - 4-year term of office
SRCOSTEP
- Assists students financially during their final academic year in return for an agreement to join the Commissioned Corps after graduation - Assigned to the sponsoring agency upon graduation (twice the time sponsored: generally 18 to 24 months) - Paid as an Ensign (O-1) ~$3,700/month + housing allowance if applicable (DC/Silver Springs ~$2,490/month) - Receive all of the benefits of Commissioned Corps officers - Credit given for SRCOSTEP time for pay and retirement purposes - Apply fall of P3 year
Benefits of Service: Financial Advantages
- Eligible for a pension at 20 years - Nontaxable housing and subsistence allowance with possibility of specialty pay (Pharmacists: $30,000 sign on bonus + $15,000 annual retention + $6,000 annual incentive if board certified) - Comprehensive, economical health benefits for Public Health - Service officers and their families - Life insurance and survivor benefits - GI Bill with ability to transfer at 10 years - 401k-style retirement plan
USPHS candidates must:
- Meet basic requirements and basic education and training requirements - Meet height and weight standards, maintain physical fitness, and be medically qualified - Commit to displaying respect for our country and service by wearing the USPHS uniform
JRCOSTEP
- Serve for periods ranging from 31-120 days (during school breaks) - No obligation to serve in the Commissioned Corps after graduation - Get Paid as an Ensign (O-1) ~$3,700/month + housing allowance if applicable (DC/Silver Springs ~$2,490/month) - Receive all of the benefits of an officer - Credit given for JRCOSTEP time for pay and retirement purposes - Generally, apply during fall of P2 year for summer of P2 year
Benefits of Service: Professional Development
- Training and educational opportunities for service leadership and career advancement - Mobility and diversity in career progression - Opportunity to be involved in disaster and endemics responses - Mentorship opportunities
USPHS offers:
- Uniformed service benefits featuring comprehensive, low-cost medical, dental, and vision care for officers and their dependents, retirement, and the Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefit (can be transferred to dependents after 10 years of service) - Diverse career opportunities and professional growth - Potential ability to transfer from civil service or other uniformed services - Opportunities for involvement in the response to disasters and epidemics
To become a USPHS officer, an applicant interested in Regular Corps must:
- complete the commissioning process and secure a position in an agency where USPHS officers serve - applicants pursue both processes simultaneously during the 6 to 9 months commissioning process
Commissioned Corps Documentary (2023)
- covers the history and role of the Public Health Service, the PHS Commissioned Corps and how public health has evolved throughout our history - explores how public health has become politicized and how important it is to change that in order to positively affect the nations' health for years to come
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
- signed into law on March 27, 2020 - provides both the authority and funding for the establishment of the Ready Reserve Corps, the reserve component of the Corps - applicants must meet same appointment requirements as Regular Corps
Student opportunities: JRCOSTEP
An extern program where students gain valuable professional experience and training and are paid for their work while completing and furthering their health-related professional education.
Daily operations of Commissioned Corps officers
Protect, promote and advance the health and safety of our nation. (1) Provide essential health services - go where most do not go to provide care for vulnerable and underserved populations. (2) Serve on the frontline of public health emergencies - respond quickly to natural disasters, disease outbreaks and global public health emergencies - serve on humanitarian missions (3) Lead public health programs and policy development - Public Health Service officers utilize their experience, skills, and networks to provide leadership within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and throughout the federal government. Advance innovation and science - work at the forefront of medical challenges like COVID-19, cancer, and the opioid crisis.
Postgraduate Educational Opportunities
Residencies and Fellowships linked with commissioning Indian Health Service Residencies Bureau of Prisons Residency National Institutes of Health - Pharmacokinetics Fellowship
Internships (not specific to Commissioned Corps officers)
Food and Drug Administration Indian Health Service Centers for Disease Control National Institutes of Health
Student opportunities: SRCOSTEP
Students get paid while in school in exchange for committing to enroll in the USPHS Commissioned Corps upon graduation
Pharmacist Vacancies
USMCFP Springfield, MO - O-4/GS11 - Staff Pharmacist, (AmCare/Inpatient) FCC Victorville, CA - O-4/GS11 - Staff Pharmacist, (AmCare) Navajo Medical Center, Shiprock, NM - O-5/GS12 - Clinical Pharmacist, (In/Out with 31 pharmacists) Crowpoint Health Care, NM - O-4/GS12 - Clinical Applications Coordinator, (25 bed hospital) CMS, Woodlawn, MD (Regulatory/Auditing) - USAJOBS.GOV FDA, Silver Springs, MD (Regulatory/Inspecting) - USAJOBS.GOV
The Ready Reserve Corps
Will provide trained and ready personnel to fill critical public health needs and will: - Support the USPHS Commissioned Corps' capacity to respond to regional, national, and global health emergencies - Improve access to health services - Preserve clinical care positions by maintaining a surge capacity of health professionals available for deployment without jeopardizing the service of clinicians in hard to fill roles - Offer an opportunity to serve for mission-driven clinical and public health professionals who cannot commit to a full-time active duty position in the USPHS Commissioned Corps - Enable access to highly specialized skill sets that would be impractical in full-time active duty positions
Advantages to joining the Commissioned Corps
You have the ability to: - Improve our Nation's public health - Conduct vital research - Design and implement national regulations - Work with a health care team to improve patient outcomes - Start your own clinics - Put your education to good use daily
Deployment role: the Office of the Surgeon General, through Commissioned Corps Headquarters, is responsible for
the coordination of readiness and deployment for: - Emergency response - Disaster relief - Domestic and international operations - Humanitarian assistance - Training From 2015-2019, >4,100 officers were deployed for 117 missions
VADM Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBA
21st Surgeon General of the US
Why do you want to be a pharmacist?
80% of pharmacists answered: "To help people" (URI)
Where does the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps work?
> 6,000 officers in 800 locations, all 50 states and numerous foreign assignments, including the World Health Organization Department of Health and Human Services - CDC, CMS, FDA, HRSA, IHS, NIH, SAMHSA Department of Homeland Security - Immigrations and Customs Enforcement - United States Coast Guard Federal Bureau of Prisons Other Federal Agencies State Governments and Local Agencies
Foreign Humanitarian Missions
Commissioned Corps officers deploy aboard US Navy ships to provide medical care to foreign nations in support of annual humanitarian missions.
Examples of past deployments
Hurricanes: Harvey (TX), Irma (FL), and Maria (PR) [2017] Great Plains Region of IHS; Zika [2016] Ebola Epidemic [2015] Presidential Inaugurations Unaccompanied Children [2014] Philippines Typhoon [2013] Hurricane Sandy, Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting [2012] Hurricane Irene [2011] Haiti Earthquake, Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico [2010]
Bureau of Prisons Pharmacy
Improving public health through correctional medicine Over 155,000 male and female adult offenders - housed in 122 institutions located in 38 states - served by ~182 pharmacists Team Oriented Healthcare Diverse Opportunities - Regional Specialists and Advisory Groups - 212 Clinical Practice Clinics ran by 101 pharmacists 95% of offenders will return to their communities **Northeast Region
Define the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
In Officio Salutis - established in 1889 (history dates back to 1798) - solely committed to protecting the public's health - the only uniformed service in the world dedicated to a public health mission - consists of >6,500 active duty officers - part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - overseen by the Assistant Secretary for Health - operational command by U.S. Surgeon General and the Deputy Surgeon General
Uniformed Services
The Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service is one of the eight uniformed services - is the only one dedicated solely to protecting America's public health