A Message From the Chief Nurse
Nurses,
I had the opportunity to meet with the Surgeon General this month to review the status of nursing issues and to applaud the accomplishments of nursing. He requested that the Chief Nurse Officer join him at the National Press Club where he spoke of the priorities for the nation’s health and the value of PHS officers. He continues to be supportive of nursing.
In addition, Admiral Agwunobi, the Assistant Secretary for Health met with me and 2 former Chief Nurse Officers (RADMs Couig and Plotnick) to hear nursing input on policies affecting the Corps and how they impact our strategic vision, including the warrant officer issue. Nursing leadership and career development were respectfully acknowledged in a very open and welcoming dialogue. I am confident that our government leaders value the contributions that each of you continue to make to the nation’s health and your potential for increased leadership.
I have been involved in ESF 8 synchronization planning and training with other PHS officers for the new Senior Health Officer (SHO) role that will serve as the Incident Commander reporting to DHHS (ESF 8).
On a sad note, we mourn the death of one of our Indian Health Service Nurse Officers, CDR Susan Ferree, who served in GALLUP, NM and was an outstanding role model for us all.
N-PAC Strategic Planning and Communication
The draft strategic plan for the N-PAC will be finalized at the July meeting. We have much to accomplish in the next year and I look forward to your input and contribution. The plan focuses on several goals targeting Nursing & Public Health Practice, Leadership& Professional Development, Communication, Research and Advocacy. The plan will be posted on the PHS Nursing website at http://phs-nurse.org/index.htm.
Recruitment Data for Nurse Officers
The nurse officer category is 1349 strong with another162 in the Inactive Reserve Corps. (Civil service and tribal nurses number approximately 3,000). We had 18 officer retirements and 63 calls to active duty since January 2006. There are 71 nurse applications actively being processed.
Our lead Associate Recruiter (AR) for nursing will be coordinating all nursing ARs to liaison with schools of nursing for focused outreach.
A view of the current US nursing workforce is described in the HRSA 2004 report on the National Survey Sample of Registered Nurses which notes that the average age of working nurses, education level, and salary of nurses are increasing (http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/reports/rnpopulation/preliminaryfindings.htm ).
Basic Readiness
Nurses should have completed the 4 new national incident management training courses http://oep.osophs.dhhs.gov/ccrf/ . The current Basic Level of Force Readiness Standards for the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (Manual Circular PHS No.377) has been extended and is effective until 1 September, 2006. Several new policy issuances with more detail will soon be replacing this policy and will be posted on the OCCO website at (http://dcp.psc.gov/).
Transformation/Promotion Policy Update
The Commissioned Corps “Three and Freeze” policy has been amended by the Assistant Secretary for Health. The modification applies to this PY-06 and future promotion cycles. This is summarized at http://dcp.psc.gov/ccbulletin/articles/CCBulletin_062206.htm. Key points include required career counseling for the bottom quartile of officers not promoted; continued eligibility for promotion for those not selected for promotion except those in the lower decile for 3 consecutive years; retention board review for those officers in the lower decile for 3 consecutive years; and “not recommended” status with retention board review for any officers who do not meet basic readiness requirements.
Congratulations to officers who were promoted in the 2006 cycle. The 2007 promotion cycle is fast approaching so take time to review your resumes and CVs and check out the nurse promotion indicators (Benchmarks) at this web site http://phs-nurse.org/CareerDev/benchmarks.html . Remember we are all on a journey to grow and develop to our full potential.
Nursing Outreach
I had the opportunity to attend the ANA House of Delegates meeting this month where the new ANA flag was unveiled and a new President, Rebecca M. Patton, RN, MSN, CNOR was elected. The contributions of public health and federal nursing were acknowledged. We also had a meeting with the Chief Nurse Officer from the World Health Organization, Dr Jean Yan, to discuss shared areas of interest and explore potential collaborations.
Comment
As you continue your celebration of summer, and your endurance of the inconveniences of heat, please focus on the need to stay healthy. Counsel others to promote health education but also look inward toward your personal needs. Remember the need to exercise/increase activity levels despite those demanding home and work schedules; to eat healthy foods despite hectic life styles; and to build your mental and emotional stamina with quality sleep and rest. Together we can keep the nation healthy one person (and one nurse) at a time. Thank you for your service to our country and her people.
Carol A. Romano, PhD, RN, FAAN
Assistant Surgeon General
Chief Nurse Officer, US Public Health Service
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