USPHS

Specialties Government

Published

Hi,

Are there any USPHS commissioned officers who can share their experiences working in IHS facilities?

What is it like living in rural areas? Please share your stories with me because I am interested in joining USPHS upon graduation (finishing up my BSN and will be done in May).

Thank you :)

There is no OCS.

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Specializes in emergency nursing.

Sorry, I meant OBC... still learning all the acronyms...

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Sorry, I meant OBC... still learning all the acronyms...

From what I gather, after researching the internet far and wide, OBC is two weeks in length. The USPHS rents a convention room at a local motel and everyone get a motel room and meets downstairs in the morning for a little intro to the Commissioned Corps, wear of the uniform, pay grades, and sundry personnel-related items. I believe they also include some form of scenarios. What seems like the hardest thing about it are the "long" days dedicated to PowerPoint.

Other than the uniform, rank, and compensation very little of the USPHS is militaristic.

You can get put on a rotation for deployments, but deployment is done with permission of your employer. If the IHS, for example, doesn't want you to go then you apparently don't go. The deployments can last for two weeks in length, but there appears to be a small potential for electively extending those with permission. It seems, again from reading, that officers at the CDC and FDA get good opportunities to deploy.

I encourage you to visit the PHS forums. I'm on there under a different name. It's educational, and there are a few manuals and so forth you can download. You can also use your Google-Fu and found out more about their command structure (which isn't much according to some), the uniforms, deployment and readiness training, and PHS job functions.

As a whole, the U.S. Government doesn't appear to readily acknowledge the USPHS CC as a uniformed service as it does the army, navy, air force, Marine corps, and coast guard. Interestingly, the NOAA Commissioned Corps (another uniformed svc. albeit not part of the armed forces) seems to get the same plane of respect with the USPHS being the stepchild. This bothers some of the people on the PHS forum.

I've read quite a bit about the agency in the last year and spoke with a recruiter by phone a couple of weeks ago. After introducing himself as Mister _______, he actually ticked me off because of his assumption that I was another Joe Blow who found a website and wanted a job and seemed uninterested in discussing anything.

All that said, I'd readily go to work for them after nursing school. I'd love to actually. I enjoy the command structure, wearing a uniform to work (hate scrubs, btw), the idea of and work done during deployments both CONUS and OCONUS. Members usually start out with the BOP, which I'd do but don't like corrections or inmates (law enforcement career tells me this), or the IHS. Some people say IHS is a horrible agency to work for on this forum, but I've not read any PHS Officers writing too poorly of it. Many of them seem to view the U.S. Coast Guard as the sugar job - not that it's necessarily easy but that you get some nice locations and cool work.

The most mysterious (and quirky) thing about the agency is exactly how you go to work for them. You can either get a job at one of the agencies served by the PHS and transition to the Commissioned Corps, or you can apply for and receive a commission in the Corps in hopes that you, yourself, can find and secure employment at one of the agencies served by the Corps. Unfortunately, you're on your own getting work. You're a regular person applying with the masses. I'd just assume commission into the PHS personally and get sent somewhere.

Hope this helps.

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Hi everyone,

I so glad I found this forum the information is plentiful. My question is does anyone know how many people apply for the usphs and how many is accepted? I plan on applying after I finish my Master in Health Policy ( I have my BSN). Hopefully my chances are good since I currently work as a public health nurse.

Thank you all again for the great information

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Specializes in All kinds.

i am a currently PHS officer and do not know the answer to that question although I can say they have gotten more selective and will disqualify you for sometimes minor medical problems or so I have heard due to changes in how we are now commissioned.

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KaineTX-What are the minor medical conditions that they would disqualify?? How much does previous experience play a role in choosing?

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Specializes in All kinds.

I am not exactly sure of what the condition are, but what has happened is that we all use to be commissioned in the in reserve corp of the USPHS. After the Affordable Care Act legislation changed that and now everyone is Commissioned into the Regular Corps. It use to be possible to come in with minor medical problems and they would but you on a limited 2 year medical tour and re-evaluate after the two year period in the reserve corp. IN the past the first 3 years we were like on a probation sorta speak, after the 3 years you could apply to be place in the Regular Corps. I know what when I came in my cholesterol was a little high and I was place on a limited tour. So it does not have to be something too serious to not be accepted. Hope this kinda answer your question.

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Submitted my PHS application packet about 3 weeks ago. In the meantime, have been doing some job searching.

Had a conversation with leadership at Naval Medical Clinic in Annapolis. States needs more "medical home providers"... "could use more RNs".

Informed him of my status. He stated that it was unfortunate that I was not "actually in the PHS" yet; otherwise he could possibly "push me through the (clinic hiring) process".

I asked if there was anyway he could assist in expediting the PHS application process and the answer was "no".

When I contact the "new call center" (I've called several times) I get a person with less than optimal customer service skills who states to "wait for someone" to call me and to 'keep checking the "check application status" page".

Any other suggestions?

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Unfortunately, waiting is a necessary evil in the application process. Be patient and the reward is worth the wait.

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Regarding RN 318,,, "Medical home providers" Does PHS do home care? Or did I read that wrong?

Just Curious

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@Utim0 : Thanks. I'll continue to stay positive.

@ NursePamela : No you read it correctly --- "medical home providers". Appears to be a type of medical model used in this particular clinic whereby the individual patient's care team is lead by a PCM (RN Patient Care Manager). The team is comprised of physicians, nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants; nurses; case managers; corpsmen; certified medical assistants and support staff to meet comprehensive healthcare needs. The focus is on prevention, wellness, improved communication, etc.

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RN318 - Thanks for clarifying, i did not know.

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