Transformation of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service

1
Transformation of the Commissioned Corps of the
U.S. Public Health Service

• 2003-Present

2
History of this Transformation

• Secretary Thompsons directive to transform the
  Corps (2003)
• Evolution of the Secretarys directive
• Options papers (October 2004)
• Secretary Leavitts decisions and Vision
  (December 2005)
• Transformation Workgroups (February 2006)
• Implementation Plan (October 2006)
• Working Policy Design Groups (ongoing)

3
Achieving the goals of shaping and managing the
Corps
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Goal Force Management and Career
Development/Officer Support

• Assess current and future needs of the Corps
• Respond proactively to changes in those needs
• Recruitment
• Selection
• Assignment
• Training
• Promotion and Assimilation
• Other Incentives

5
Goal Force Management and Career
Development/Officer Support

• Assignment and selection systems to provide
  agencies with panels of qualified officers to
  fill their vacancies
• Training programs to develop leadership and
  emergency response skills throughout officers
  careers

6
Putting Flesh on the Bones of the Secretarys
Decisions on the Proposed Options
7
Transformation Workgroups (2006)

• Five workgroups with representation from each
  OPDIV/STAFFDIV and non-HHS agency to which
  officers are assigned
• Readiness and Response
• Sizing of the Corps
• Recruitment, Training and Career Development
• Assignments
• Classification and Positions
• Worked from Secretarys decisions of December 2005

8
Transformation Workgroups (2006)

• Reports finalized in March 2006
• Meetings among the OPDIV/STAFFDIV Heads and
  Secretary Leavitt to discuss the workgroup
  recommendations and decide on implementation plan
• Transformation Implementation Plan published in
  October 2006

9
Transition from Framework to Policy Design and
Development
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Assumptions and Requirements

• The Corps must increase its force strength in
  order to effectively achieve its missions
• Force Management must take into consideration
• Emergency response requirements
• Historical, public health role

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Assumptions and Requirements

• Sizing Model is being created that
• Balances response requirements with agency
  needs/Corps historic mission
• Identifies current capabilities and gaps
• Examines past trends in recruitment, retention
  and gaps
• Predicts future needs based on trends
• Guides the targeted recruitment efforts

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Assumptions and Requirements

• Efficiencies must be developed in
• Recruitment, Call-to-Active-Duty
• All personnel systems
• Support systems must be enhanced
• Officer support
• Family support

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Recruitment, Selection, Accession, Functional
Classification, Assignment and Training of Corps
Officers
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Recruitment

• Aggressive and targeted
• New, robust call system that links in the
  Associate Recruiters
• Public relations campaign
• Attractive and informative printed and electronic
  materials
• New commissioning programs for students
• Every officer is a recruiter

15
Application, Selection and Accession

• Electronic application system (eCAD)
• Linked from new Corps website (www.usphs.gov)
• OF-50 completed online
• Additional forms for health status evaluation
• eCAD linked to an electronic selection system
  that will facilitate linking qualified officers
  with vacancies (especially in 3H assignments)
• Reduce time from application to accession from
  gt52 weeks to 8-12 weeks

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Application, Selection and Accession

• Streamlined process
• Post-accession physical exam (no cost to the
  officer)
• Post-accession background investigation
• All new accessions report to the PHS Officer
  Basic Course (OBC) within their first five weeks
  on active duty

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Functional Classification of Officers

• Functional Groups
• Clinical
• Applied Public Health
• Mental Health
• Research
• Areas of Concentration (AOC)
• Functional Advisory Committees

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Assignment of Officers

• Officer Profiles
• Professional characteristics of the officer
• Maintained/updated by officer and verified by
  OCCO
• Used also during career development counseling
• Each officer on a unique billet
• Defines Category and Functional Group
• Searchable by officers, agencies and Career and
  Assignment Managers (CAM)

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Assignment of Officers

• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) Library
• Linked to information in officer profiles
• Vacancies
• Track all vacancies
• KSAs included in announcements
• Category, grade and Functional Group preference
  included in announcement
• Posted on USAJobs website (www.usajobs.gov)
• OCCO CAM compare Officer Profiles with vacancy
  announcements
• A panel of qualified officers is forwarded to
  selecting official

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Assignment Incentives

• For Officers
• Assignment Incentive Pay for work in hard-to-fill
  billets
• At the discretion of the agency
• Specified tour length and rotation schedule
  (extensions at officers request)
• Receive priority career counseling
• Receive priority placement for follow-on
  assignments

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Assignment Incentives

• For Dependents
• Spousal and family member employment assistance
  program
• Childcare support

• Counseling, information and referral support
• Relocation Assistance upon PCS

22
Training and Career Development

• Career-long training begins at the PHS OBC, but
  includes Intermediate, Advanced and Executive
  courses
• Categories and FACs will develop training
  matrices for career progression within the
  Categories and in the Functional Groups
• Training will emphasize leadership development
  applicable to
• Deployment activities
• Meeting agency missions
• CAM will assist officers with career development

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The Backbone of Transformation Information
Technology
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IT Systems

• The Chief Information Officers Council and the
  Departments IT Investment Review Board have
  approved a plan to form a relationship with the
  Coast Guard to handle our personnel systems using
  their IT infrastructure
• eCAD is ready to launch. The first phase will
  enable applicants to complete and submit their
  SF-50 and accompanying documents electronically.

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Implementation Through Policy Development
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WPDGs to Date

• Billets, Officer Profiles and Selection Systems
• Career Development and Training
• Recruitment
• 3H Assignments (Isolated/Hazardous duty,
  Hardship, Hard-to-fill)
• Family Support
• Sizing of the Corps
• Additionally, the Functional Advisory Committee
  Leadership has been named

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Implementation of the Secretarys plan

• Transformation Implementation Planning
  Coordination Group (IPCG) has been formed
• 12 officers assigned to OCCO and OCCFM to lead
  the implementation
• Working Policy and Design Groups (WPDGs)

• Policy summaries drafted by WPDGs, reviewed by
  IPCG and forwarded to the ASH for decision on
  approval of policy concept
• Policies written by OCCFM, reviewed by PACs,
  CPOs, IPCG, then forwarded to ASH for review and
  decision on approval

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Major Accomplishments to Date
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Policy Summaries and Draft Policies (approved by
the ASH)

• Post-accession medical evaluations
• Required change to the Code of Federal
  Regulations
• Draft policy

• 3H Assignments
• Definitions
• Assignment Incentive Pay
• 3H Assignments Policy Design

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Policy Summaries and Draft Policies (IPCG Action)

• Officer Profiles (Approved by IPCG)
• Billets (Approved by IPCG and Templates for
  Category-Specific Billets have been created)
• Training-OBC and Competencies (Awaiting Approval
  of IPCG)
• Model for Corps Sizing (Presented to IPCG)
• Billet Locator and Officer Placement System
  (Presented to IPCG)

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Policy Summaries and Draft Policies

• Ready for Presentation to the IPCG
• Functional Group System
• 3H Assignments-Family Support
• Recruitment Policy Summary

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New Recruitment Materials
New Corps Web Presence Matching Fact
Sheets and Brochures
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Additional Recruitment Accomplishments

• Advertisements have been placed in dozens of
  professional journals and newsletters/newspapers
  from health professions schools
• New booth displays for use at professional
  conferences
• My CC Story feature articles have appeared in
  hometown and alumni newspapers across the country
• A new Call System and Web Center (under
  development) facilitate interactions between
  potential applicants and recruiters. The Web
  Center will enable Associate Recruiters to
  download applicant voicemail messages and contact
  them