A Message From the Chief Nurse

Nurses,

The hibernation of winter is slowing coming to a close. For animals this deep sleep is how they save energy and adapt to the environment around them. In contrast, we adapt to the many changes around us in the very awake state with an increase need for energy. I hope that you continue to care for yourselves and renew your energy as we are asked to adapt to the increased pace of change around us.

Here are some updates to keep you informed.

Policy Update

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) has collaborated with five other health care regulatory licensing boards to create a document designed to assist legislators and regulatory bodies with decisions about changes to health care professions’ scopes of practice. The intent is public protection and to assist with addressing if a profession can provide a particular service in a safe and effective way. You can find the document at https://www.ncsbn.org/ScopeofPractice.pdf

This acknowledges “healthcare education and practice evolve in such a way that most professions share some skills or procedures and that it is unrealistic to expect each profession to have a completely unique scope of practice exclusive of all others”. Our role as nurses is to continue to work in partnerships with our professional colleagues and recognize the value of multi/inter disciplinary collaboration.

Field Medical Readiness Badge criteria and training requirements are available at http://oep.osophs.dhhs.gov/ccrf/. On a quarterly basis OFRD will automatically award the badge when an officer meets the criteria.

Working integrated policy teams (WIPTs) are reviewing, updating, and developing policies as needed. Focus is currently on policies for readiness, disciplinary actions and retention boards. Working Policy and Design Groups are translating the transformation decisions contained in the Commissioned Corps Transformation Implementation Plan into policies and processes. You can read the plan at http://dcp.psc.gov/PDF_docs/Commissioned_Corps_Transformation_Implementation_Plan.pdf.

Flag Officer Retreat

A retreat of 47 of the 50 flag officers was held this month on the NIH campus. In opening comments, the NIH Director acknowledged “the Corps is not just another personnel system, it is a value system.” The focus of the meeting was on Transformation, Agency/Corps Integration, and Readiness. The Assistant Secretary for Health noted that the appointment of a new Surgeon General and reintroducing this role as the people’s doctor, guiding the nation’s heath was one of his priorities. He also reinforced that the Corps’ mission should be to influence policymaking, rather than setting it. There was also reinforcement that the Secretary and Agency heads are supportive of transformation and the Corps.

Nursing Leadership and Outreach

I had the opportunity to participate in a public engagement project on pandemic flu vaccine prioritization. An interagency working group coordinated by DHHS and Department of Homeland Security will provide guidance to state, local and tribal planners on prioritizing who will get pandemic vaccine earlier and who later. Stakeholders have been involved in informing the development of this guidance. The professional nursing organizations have been involved as stakeholders.

RADM Kerry Nesseler represented me at the World Health Organization, Global Advisory Group on Nursing and Midwifery (GAGNM) and the Stakeholder’s meeting in Geneva on strengthening nursing and midwifery on Feb 19-21. The meeting addressed workforce shortages and imbalances as major barriers to global health and solicited input on scaling-up health workforce production.

I have the opportunity to serve on the search committee for a new Dean of the Graduate School of Nursing at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. I ask that you encourage qualified candidates to consider application. Public Health Service civilian and nurse officers are currently students in this program. http://www.usuhs.mil/gsndeansearch/

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) report- The 2004 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses was released on February 20, 2007. To order a copy of the survey report, contact the HRSA Information Center online at http://ask.hrsa.gov or call 1-888-ASK-HRSA.

Transformation

The Inspector General's Report on the Commissioned Corps' response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita was released February 20, 2007 http://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-09-06-00030.pdf. The results note that the Corps provided a valued service and has some opportunities for improvement. Transformation will address many of the recommendations that will improve and refine our deployment doctrine in the future.

Transformation is progressing and updates are communicated in the CCBulletin at http://dcp.psc.gov/ccbulletin/articles/CCBulletin_021907.htm. A comprehensive communication strategy is planned and will include a new USPHS web site to be launched in April, a robust public affairs program, and a vigorous recruitment campaign targeted to nurses, physicians, dentists and pharmacists. New materials will be available for associate recruiters to use. We have a huge challenge in nursing to reach out and engage in recruitment. I trust I can count on each of you to embrace this challenge.

Comment

Your continued effort to move our mission forward is critical to the people of our nation. I recognize that fatigue and discouragement are the internal enemies that we fight in order to maintain our stamina. I ask that you stay focused on the value of your work as nurses and be inspired by the special moments that you each create every day for those you serve. It is the special moments that carry us through the darkness and light our journey toward protecting, promoting and advancing the health and safety of our nation. Thank you for your service and for the many special moments you create.

Carol A. Romano, PhD, RN, FAAN
Assistant Surgeon General
Chief Nurse Officer, US Public Health Service