For Official Use Only – Not for Public Release
Dear Public Health Service Officers,
The Office of the Surgeon General and Commissioned Corps Headquarters (CCHQ) is pleased to announce two exciting TDY training opportunities for U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps officers: Operation Bushmaster and Integrated Readiness Training.
Operation Bushmaster FACULTY
CCHQ is coordinating with the Uniformed Services University (USU) to participate as faculty in Operation Bushmaster, a field training exercise for USU students that conducted at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania each year. We are looking for officers to serve as faculty only.
Operation Bushmaster is the capstone event for senior students in the USU where students are deployed to a simulated, austere combat environment and instructed to provide medical support throughout the range of military operations. Please see the following links for additional information: YouTube Video: Medical Field Practicum 202 – Operation Bushmaster, YouTube Link: Bushmaster: Teaching Leadership
CCHQ is looking for motivated and flexible officers with backgrounds in Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, General Surgery and Preventive Medicine to fulfill the following Faculty This is open to the following Categories: Medical, Nursing, and Health Sciences Officer (Physician Assistant) only:
- Leadership:
- Serve as the faculty team leader
- Assess the student in the leader role (one student/cycle)
- Have expertise/knowledge in operational military leadership
- Guide the scenario – ensuring that messages are transmitted/given on time in order to help students continue with their work
- Surgeon:
- Serve as the medical subject matter expert
- Assess the student in the surgeon role (one student/cycle)
- Have expertise/knowledge in TCCC, ATLS, ALS
- Ambulance Team Leader:
- Serve as the subject matter expert on prehospital trauma care
- Assess the student in the ambulance team leader role (one student/cycle)
- Have expertise in TCCC
- Previous deployed experience can guide student group in military culture, radio communications, vehicle movement
- Casualty Coach:
- Work exclusively with the student role players
- Guide student group of 7-8 students in preparing for different patient cases scenarios and its management
- Support moulage application for students
** Preventive Medicine and Behavioral Health Officer roles at Bushmaster will be incorporated into the daily tasks of the surgeon and medical team. These roles will not be separately assessed this year.
Dates: Students will begin at 1200 on Day 1 (faculty must arrive by 1000) and will finish at 1200 on Day 3.
- Iteration 1: 28 April – 30 April
- Iteration 2: 30 April – 2 May
- Iteration 3: 2 May – 4 May
- Iteration 4: 4 May – 6 May
** The schedule allows off-time from 2230 until operations begin at 0600 the following morning. Faculty are permitted to work Iteration 1 & 3 or Iteration 2 & 4 with a rest day in between.
**You MUST also attend virtual faculty training (scheduled for 21 April 2021) to prepare for the in-person event.
Funding: Operation Bushmaster provides the funding, per diem and travel coordination for officers selected for this training. Officers chosen are required to attend when rostered and you will be on TDY orders. Please see attached document for additional information.
Requirements for this TDY deployment include that applicants must:
- Be a current Commissioned Corps officer in categories
- Meet Basic Readiness Requirements
- Have no current/pending adverse actions
- Have satisfactory COERs
- Submit Supervisory Approval (e-mail or letter)
- Have deployment experience within the last 5 years (this is preferred, but not required)
- Preference is for officers within driving distance of Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania
Officers interested must submit this information by COB Thursday, February 25, 2021. If you already contacted USU and you are interested in participating, you must re-apply.
Interested officers should send an email to PHSPreparedness@hhs.gov AND (with the subject line: Operation Bushmaster Faculty Application) and include:
- SERNO
- CV
- One-page document (12 font) explaining why you would be a good fit as faculty
- Completed Faculty Application Form
- Full-length photo in ODUs
- Whether you have been involved with Operation Bushmaster before
Innovative Readiness Training (IRT)
The USPHS Commissioned Corps, CCHQ, has formed a collaborative partnership with the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Integration to provide USPHS Commissioned Corps officers the opportunity to participate in the Innovative Readiness Training (IRT). The IRT is a joint training opportunity that increase deployment readiness while simultaneously providing key services with lasting benefits for American communities.
USPHS Commissioned Corps officers will participate in Medical IRT Missions, which provide training opportunities to military units while providing incidental benefit to communities via no-cost healthcare. Services include optometry, health exams, dental, veterinary care, and public health education. IRTs count towards practice hours and officers will be on personnel orders.
CCHQ is coordinating with IRT to TDY approximately 50 officers to 3 different IRT missions:
- Arctic Care, held in Alaska from May 3-18, 2021
- Operation Healthy Delta, held in Illinois and Missouri from June 11-25, 2021
- Delta Wellness, held in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri from July 6-20, 2021
** Please note that each site may have different Restriction of Movement requires that may require an officer to quarantine on-site prior to the start of the training. If you are selected, you will be notified of the exact requirement.
This TDY opportunity is open to the following Officers in the below categories:
- Dentist / Dental Hygienist
- Optometrist
- Physician
- Behavioral Health
- Nurse
- Nurse Practitioners
- Physician Assistants
- Veterinarian
Requirements for this TDY include that applicants must:
- Be an active duty Corps officer
- Meet basic readiness requirements
- Have no current/pending adverse actions
- Have satisfactory COERs
- Submit verification of supervisory approval (email or letter)
- Be licensed and have at least 80 hours of clinical time in the past 18 months
- Have prior training and deployment experience (preferred)
Officers interested must submit this information by COB Thursday, February 25, 2021. Interested officers should send an email to PHSPreparedness@hhs.gov (with the subject line: IRT Application) and include:
- SERNO
- CV
- Mission Preference
- Supervisory approval verification documentation
- Licensure documentation
- Board or specialty certification documentation (if applicable)
- A full-length photo, standing at attention in Operational Dress Uniform (ODU)
- One-page document (12 font) explaining why you would be are interested in this opportunity
You will be on orders if selected but this is subject to changes if needs of COVID-19 deployment arises.
Respectfully,
Susan M. Orsega
RADM, USPHS
Acting Surgeon General
Director, Commissioned Corps Headquarters