United States Public Health Service

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United States Public Health Service

• Protecting, promoting, and advancing the health
  and safety
• of the Nation

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Who are We?

• U.S. Public Health Service
• Highly-trained and mobile health professionals
• The nations foremost health service
• A principle component of the Department of Health
  and Human Services
• One of the Seven Uniformed Services

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Seven Uniformed Services of the U.S.
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The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
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USPHS

• Part of the Department of Health and Human
  Services
• Led by the Surgeon General
• Dual Personnel System
• 60,000 employees total
• gt 6,000 Commissioned Corps Officers growing

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RADM Boris Lushniak, MD, MPH

• Acting Surgeon General of the United States

http//www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/biographies/bi
osg.html
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RADM Scott Giberson, RPh, MPH

• Acting Deputy Surgeon General of the United States

http//www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/biographies/bi
odeputy.html
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Mission

• To protect, promote, and advance the
• health and safety of the Nation through
• rapid and effective response to public health
  needs
• leadership and excellence in public health
  practices
• advancement of public health science

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Our Origins

• 1798 Creation of PHS to provide for care and
  relief of sick and injured merchant seaman
• 1870 Reorganization to create a Marine Hospital
  Service
• 1889 Formalized by Congress as the Commissioned
  Corps
• 1912 Renamed Public Health Service because of
  broadening responsibilities
• 1939 Became part of the Federal Security Agency
• 1980 Became part of the Department of Health and
  Human Services

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PHS Seal

• Fouled Anchor seaman in distress
• Caduceus (winged wand with 2 serpents
  intertwined)
• Associated with the Greek god Mercury, used to
  symbolize trade or commerce (hence, PHS
  relationship with merchant seaman and maritime
  industry)

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PHS Flag

• Evolved out of the quarantine flag used by the
  Service on quarantine vessels and stations
• Blue and yellow colors of the PHS represent its
  roots in maritime and quarantine activities

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Where are we located?

• Almost anywhere and everywhere in the United
  States
• Whether you prefer urban or rural, east, west,
  north, or south - we have a location for you

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Duty Locations Coast to Coast
Arizona
Washington
Washington DC
New Mexico
South Dakota
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Where do PHS Pharmacists Work?

• Indian Health Service (IHS)
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Bureau of Prisons (BOP)
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• United States Coast Guard (USCG)
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
• Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

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Where do PHS Pharmacists Work?

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Department of Defense Tricare Management Activity
  (DOD TMA)
• Health Resources and Services Administration
  (HRSA)
• Program Support Center (PSC)
• Office of the Secretary (OS)
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
  Administration (SAMHSA)

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Indian Health Service

• IHS Mission To raise the physical, mental,
  social and spiritual health of American Indians
  and Alaska Natives
• IHS Serves 2 million people from 565 Federally
  recognized tribes and their descendants
• Provides comprehensive healthcare services
  including preventive, curative, rehabilitative,
  and environmental
• Most IHS facilities are west of the Mississippi
  River
• Northern Plains States
• Southwest
• Pacific Northwest
• Alaska
• http//www.ihs.gov

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U.S. Coast Guard

• Component of the Department of Homeland Security
• One of the seven Uniformed Services, and is the
  smallest of the five armed services
• Headquarters in Washington, DC
• Opportunities throughout the US
• New Jersey Massachusetts
• Washington North Carolina
• Florida Connecticut
• Alabama Washington DC
• California Virginia
• Alaska
• http//www.uscg.mil

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U.S. Food and Drug Administration

• FDA is responsible for protecting the public
  health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and
  security of
• Human and veterinary drugs
• Biological products
• Medical devices
• National food supply
• Cosmetics
• Products that emit radiation

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U.S. Food and Drug Administration

• FDA regulates manufacturing, marketing and
  distribution of tobacco products
• FDA monitors the manufacture, import, transport,
  storage, and sale of about 1 trillion worth of
  products each year
• http//www.fda.gov

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Federal Bureau of Prisons

• The health care mission of the BOP
• To deliver medically necessary health care to
  inmates effectively in accordance with proven
  standards of care without compromising public
  safety concerns inherent to the Bureaus overall
  mission.
• Operates a system of Federal penitentiaries
  across the country
• Settings range from small infirmaries to 500 bed
  tertiary care hospitals

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Federal Bureau of Prisons

• Inmates are designated a level of care according
  to their overall health
• Care Level (CL) I Healthy or simple chronic
  care
• CL II Stable, chronic care
• CL III Unstable, complex chronic care
• CL IV Medical Center, often requires daily
  nursing care
• http//www.bop.gov

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National Institutes of Health

• Mission to seek fundamental knowledge about the
  nature and behavior of living systems and the
  application of that knowledge to enhance health,
  lengthen life, and reduce the burdens of illness
  and disability

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National Institutes of Health

• Federal focal point for medical research in the
  U.S.
• More than 80 of NIHs budget goes to over 3,000
  universities and research institutions.
• The NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD is the
  largest hospital in the world totally dedicated
  to clinical research.

• http//www.nih.gov

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• CDC employs more than 15,000 employees, in more
  than 50 countries and in 168 occupational
  categories
• Primary function is to conduct and support public
  health activities in the United States

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• CDC works in conjunction with local, state, and
  national partners to improve the publics health,
  with particular focus on
• Providing support to local and state health
  departments
• Improving global health
• Decreasing leading causes of death
• Strengthening surveillance and epidemiology
• Reforming health policies
• http//www.cdc.gov

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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA)

• Mission to reduce the impact of substance abuse
  and mental illness on Americas communities 
• SAMHSA includes four centers
• Center for Mental Health Services
• Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
• Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
• Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and
  Quality
• Centers work with and support States,
  Territories, Tribes, communities, and local
  organizations to accomplish the mission through 8
  strategic initiatives
• http//www.samhsa.gov/

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Health Resources and Services Administration

• Mission To improve health and achieve health
  equity through access to quality services, a
  skilled health workforce, and innovative programs
• Vision Healthy Communities, Healthy People
• Goals
• Improve access to quality care and services
• Strengthen the health workforce
• Build healthy communities
• Improve health equity
• 6 bureaus, 13 offices and 1,860 people improving
  health care for the uninsured, people living with
  HIV, pregnant women, mothers, and children
• http//www.hrsa.gov

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement Health
Service Corps

• Oversees lawful immigration to the United States
• Core Values include Integrity, Respect,
  Ingenuity, and Vigilance
• Headquartered in D.C. with opportunities
  throughout the US and territories, including
• New York
• Florida
• Texas
• Arizona
• California
• Puerto Rico
• http//www.uscis.gov

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Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services

• Mission to assure health care security for
  beneficiaries
• Vision to open our programs to full partnership
  with the entire health community to improve
  quality and efficiency in an evolving health care
  system.
• Goals
• To provide access to quality care
• To provide services to beneficiaries
• To provide program administration to run CMS
  programs
• http//www.cms.hhs.gov/home/aboutcms.asp

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Sample Pharmacist Billets

• FDA CDER/OSE Safety Evaluator
• Reviewing and evaluating pre-market proposed
• proprietary drug and biological names and
  product
• characteristics to determine the likelihood
  of confusion with existing products in the
  marketplace
• Reviewing, analyzing, and evaluating the
  medication error reports for pre-market and
  post-market drug and biological products which
  are submitted to the FDA or cited in the
  scientific literature
• Serving as a scientific advisor on adverse
  reactions associated with drug and biological
  products and on the safety of drug and
  biological products within FDA

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Sample Pharmacist Billets

• IHS Assistant Chief Pharmacist (Inpatient)
• Serving as a Clinical Pharmacist for the ICU
  Residency
• Program Director at the Indian Health
  Service Phoenix Indian Medical Center (PIMC)
• Directing and coordinating clinical and
  distributive
• pharmacy services at this 110-bed facility
• Providing pharmacotherapy services and
  distributive pharmacy
  services for ICU patients
• Developing and implementing medication use
  policies
• Developing and coordinating the ASHP accredited
  Pharmacy Practice Residency Program at PIMC
• Active member of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics
• Committee

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Sample Pharmacist Billets

• HRSA Branch Chief for the AIDS Drug
  Assistance Program (ADAP)
• Leading a team responsible for monitoring
  established
• ADAPs to improve health care for
  individuals and families affected by HIV
• Establishing ADAP priorities to respond to issues
  that impact planning and delivery of HIV care
  services
• Developing strategies for delivering care for
  HIV/AIDS
• Guiding grantees to use the most cost-effective
  methods to purchase medications

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Sample Pharmacist Billets

• HRSA Branch Chief for the AIDS Drug
  Assistance Program (ADAP)
• Assisting grantees in making formulary decisions
• Preparing budget forecasting reports
• Developing on-site program reviews of compliance
  with ADAP mandates and regulations
• Addressing medication distribution strategies in
  resource-poor countries

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Sample Pharmacist Billets

• NIH Head of the Protocol and Information Office
• Coordination of the administrative portion of the
• development and implementation of oncology
• clinical trials to assure patient safety
• Optimization of scientific objectives, regulatory
• compliance, and efficient use of resources
• Acting as a project manager to develop software
  to improve
• the efficiency of oncology clinical trials
  at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) by
  leveraging technology

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Sample Pharmacist Billets

• Learn more about pharmacist roles at
• Pharmacists Learning
• and Networking Together (PLANT)
• http//www.usphs.gov/corpslinks/pharmacy/sc_comms_
  plant.aspx

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Why did I choose to be a PHS Pharmacist?
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Why did I choose to be a PHS Pharmacist?

• Quality of practice
• Opportunities for professional growth

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Quality of Practice

• Pharmacy Practice wherein you are included in the
  decision process with other professionals,
  helping to manage treatment, utilizing the
  patient's medical record, and counseling every
  patient about their drug therapy
• Pharmacy Practice settings where you and other
  providers sit down as a team and talk about your
  patient's drug therapy

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Opportunities for Professional Growth

• Different agencies/programs
• Benefits accompany officers when transferring
  agencies/programs

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Opportunities for Professional Growth

• National and International Impact
• Emergency Preparedness
• USPHS Commissioned Corps Americas Health
  Responders

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Office of Force Readiness and Deployment (OFRD)

• OFRD coordinates the deployment of USPHS Officers
  in response to
• National Emergencies
• Public Health Emergencies
• Urgent Public Needs
• National Special Security Events

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OFRD Pharmacist Opportunities

• Special Needs Shelters
• General Shelter Clinics
• Mobile Medical Clinics/Pharmacies

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OFRD Pharmacist Opportunities

• Vaccination Teams
• Temporary Hospitals

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OFRD Pharmacist Opportunities

• Pharmacist assistance at disaster stricken
  hospitals
• Assisting foreign Ministry of Health departments
  to establish health care systems
• Thailand (2005)
• Iraq (2004)
• Haiti (2004)

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OFRD Pharmacist Opportunities

• Incident Regional Coordination Team (IRCT)
• Operations, Planning, and Logistics
• Team Leaders and Incident Commanders
• Public Health Assessment and Inspection Teams
• Liaisons
• State Emergency Operations Center
• Homeland Security incident Management Group

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OFRD - Make a Difference
Hurricanes September 2004
World Trade Center Attacks Sept 2001
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National Special Security Events

• Officers have deployed to provide assistance
  during the Presidents Inauguration.

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Foreign Humanitarian Missions

• USPHS Officers deploy aboard US Navy ships in
  support of annual humanitarian assistance
  operations providing medical care to foreign
  nations.

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Foreign Humanitarian Missions
Nigeria September 2010
USNS Comfort Cruise Sept 2009
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Domestic Humanitarian Missions

• USPHS partners with Non-profit Groups to provide
  free medical care to the underserved populations
  within the United States.

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Disaster Relief Missions

• USPHS Officers deployed after the Haitian
  Earthquake in support of relief efforts.
• Nearly 400 USPHS Pharmacists assisted with relief
  efforts for Hurricanes Dennis, Emily, Katrina,
  Rita, and Wilma.

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OFRD Helping those in need

• As an Officer in the U.S. Public Health Service,
  you have a unique opportunity to make a
  difference in peoples lives, domestically and
  internationally

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OFRD Helping those in need

• As part of something larger than yourself, you
  have unique opportunities to make a real
  difference in peoples lives.

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OFRD 3 tiered deployment response team

• Tier One Five Rapid Deployment Force teams and
  ten Incident Regional Coordination Teams
• expected to report to a point of departure within
  12 hours of notification
• Tier Two Five Applied Public Health Teams and
  five
• Mental Health teams
• expected to report to a point of departure within
  36 hours of notification
• Tier Three Every other active duty officer in
  the Commissioned Corps
• expected to report to a point of departure within
  72 hours of notification
• deployment on a regular basis, either to augment
  Tier 1 or Tier 2 teams, or to provide specific
  requested skills when required

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Quality of Life

• 30 days of annual leave
• may carry over 60 days per year plus 10 federal
  holidays
• Sick leave as medically necessary

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Quality of Life

• Diverse geographical locations

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Quality of Life

• Be prepared to enjoy a camaraderie and sense of
  common purpose unlike anything you have yet
  experienced.

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Privileges

• Moving expenses are paid by the government
• Commissioned officers qualify for the G.I. Bill
  to supplement additional educational pursuits
• Officers may also qualify for housing loans
  through the Department of Veterans Affairs

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Compensation

• Taxable
• Base Pay
• Pharmacy Accession Bonus
• - Requires Contract of Service
• Pharmacy Special Pay
• Non-Taxable
• Housing Allowance
• Subsistence

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Compensation

• Pharmacy Special Pay (15,000 per year)
• Board Certification Pay

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Compensation

• Recent Graduates
• The USPHS gives you an entire YEAR from your date
  of graduation to become licensed.
• In the meantime, you get FULLY PAID as a
  pharmacist

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Retirement

• After 20 years of active service
• retired pay 50 of average base pay during
  past 36 months
• Non-contributory retirement based on
• 20-30 year career
• For each additional year of service
• retired pay multiplier increases by 2.5

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Insurance

• No-cost healthcare at Uniformed Services
  facilities (for you and your dependents)
• No payroll deduction
• No deductibles or copays

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Insurance

• Malpractice insurance is not necessary when
  practicing in a federal facility
• coverage under the Federal Tort Claims Act

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More Privileges

• Access to Department of Defense benefits
• Military bases
• Officers clubs
• Exchanges
• Guest housing
• Commissaries
• Space-Available travel

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Eligibility Criteria

• U.S. citizenship
• Less than 44 years of age
• Graduate of an accredited College or University
  in United States
• Less than 8 years of active duty in another
  uniformed service
• (waivers may be considered for hard to fill
• and isolated hardship sites )
• Good health

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How to Get Started?

• Visit http//www.usphs.gov
• For recruitment or application questions or
  information, please contact us through our online
  form, Facebook page, or at the number below.
• 1.800.279.1605
• https//www.facebook.com/USPHS

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STUDENT OPPORTUNITIESCommissioned Officer
Student Training and Extern Program (COSTEP)
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JR COSTEP Program

• Serve for periods ranging from 31 to 120 days
• No obligation to serve in the Commissioned Corps
  after graduation
• Credit given for JRCOSTEP time for pay and
  retirement purposes

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SR COSTEP Program

• Assists students financially during their final
  academic year in return for an agreement to work
  for the PHS Commissioned Corps after graduation
  for twice the time sponsored
• Assigned to the sponsoring agency upon graduation
  

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COSTEP Benefits

• Basic pay (taxable)
• Ensign (pay grade O-1) officer
• Allowances (non-taxable)
• Housing Allowance
• Subsistence
• Prior service in a Uniformed Service will count
  towards years of service for pay

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Application Acceptance Dates

• Junior COSTEP Senior COSTEP
• Online application
• Check website for open registration dates

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Student Internships

• Food and Drug Administration
• http//www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/WorkingatFDA/Fellowsh
  ipInternshipGraduateFacultyPrograms/PharmacyStuden
  tExperientialProgramCDER/default.htm
• Bureau of Prisons
• http//www.usphs.gov/corpslinks/pharmacy/bop_progr
  am.aspx

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Post-Graduate Opportunities

• Indian Health Service Residencies
• Bureau of Prisons Residencies
• NIH Clinical Center Pharmacy Department
• http//www.cc.nih.gov/phar
• Ambulatory Fellowship (2 years)
• Pharmacokinetics Fellowship (2 slots)
• Oncology Specialty Residency

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• Ask any USPHS Pharmacist what we think of our
  career, and we will tell you that we made the
  right choice!
• You can, too!

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PHS Hall of Fame

• CAPT Bill Boyce
• Oregon State University Director
• CAPT Jerry Phillips
• Drug Safety Institute
• RADM Jerry Halperin
• Food, Drug, and Law Institute, President and CEO
• Lucinda Maine
• Executive VP of AACP

• RADM Fred Paavola
• Commander of AZ-1 DMAT
• CAPT James Minor
• Gilead Pharmaceuticals
• CAPT Gordon Johnston
• VP Regulatory Affairs at GPhA
• RADM Richard Bertin
• Executive Director of the Board of Pharmaceutical
  Specialties

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QUESTIONS?

• http//www.USPHS.GOV
• or
• 800.279.1605
• Revised 1/27/2014