The U.S. Public Health Service: America’s Health Responders

Having fought for the Army in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and served at Walter Reed as a staff nurse and clinical educator would be a satisfying career for most people. But Lieutenant Christopher Howard of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps wanted more.

The opportunity to work at the National Institutes of Health and do clinical research in the oncology division inspired Lt. Howard to make the transfer from the Army to the Commissioned Corps. He explains, “The opportunity to do cancer research and be on the front end of that—almost like pioneering work—was an opportunity that I knew wouldn’t be afforded in the Army.”

A clinical research nurse with the Commissioned Corps, Lt. Howard is currently working in the Surgical Oncology Unit of the National Cancer Institute, which sees approximately 20,000 patients annually. The National Cancer Institute is the leading federal agency dedicated to new approaches to treatments. One such breakthrough is applying chemotherapy directly on tumors during surgery, instead of having patients receive chemotherapy through an IV or central line.

Lt. Howard talks excitedly about his job. “We see six different types of cancer patients. We are the nurses who are required to do the background information check and show the patients what they can expect when they come on board. We work directly with their primary oncologist, whether they are from Australia or here in Washington, DC.”  Lt. Howard has seen more than a dozen patients who were given grave diagnoses of three to six months to live before they were treated at the National Cancer Institute and followed up with them a year or even two years later.

Working in the Commissioned Corps is different from other career paths. Lt. Howard says, “As a civilian in private practice, you’re either at the bedside, an administrator, or a staff educator. With the Commissioned Corps, I’m promoting public health and working as a uniformed officer, and as a nurse I’m providing care and on the leading edge of oncology research.” 

Make the U.S. Public Health Service the Highlight of Your Career!
The U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps protects, promotes, and advances the health and safety of the nation. As one of the seven Uniformed Services of the United States, it is composed of officers who have been commissioned on the basis of their health-related training.

Corps officers are rewarded with an excellent package of salary and benefits, including health coverage, tax-free allowances for housing and food, 30 days of vacation each year, and much more.

A career in the Commissioned Corps offers unlimited opportunities to serve your country while improving the quality of people’s lives. If you are a nurse or nursing student interested in joining the fight for public health, or if you have questions about what we do and how you can make a difference, we would like to talk to you. For more information, call 800–279–1605 or visit www.usphs.gov.