How to Write Commissioned Corps Award Narratives

1. How toWrite Commissioned Corps Award Narratives HRSA Commissioned Corps Awards Technical Support Committee Slides courtesy of LCDR Matthew Newland

2. Outline • Purpose of Awards • Submission Process • Award Narratives: How to write award narratives well for your officers • Selecting an Activity • Materials to Have on Hand • “Overwriting” Awards • Writing Guidelines • Award Template • Exercise: Writing an Effective Narrative

3. I. The Purpose of Awards • Awards formally recognize employees for outstanding accomplishments and performance to the mission of HHS, PHS or other programs • Awards are Benchmarks for Promotion Precepts • Awards increase moral, increase productivity, and reduce staff turnover • It is more expensive to replace an employee than it is to retain existing ones because of increased workloads, time and costs of interviewing candidates, and training new hires

4. II. The Submission Process • All awards must be submitted to and signed by the officer’s supervisor • Exceptions are: • Awards for activities for deployments which must be submitted by the team lead • Awards for work groups or activities outside of the officer’s regular job responsibilities (Professional Advisory Committees)

5. III. Award Narratives: How To Write Award Narratives Well A. Select An Activity • Identify an activity. It may be part of the officer’s regular duties or an additional activity the officer completed over a period of time. • Show the Impact. The impact can be demonstrated with data: lives saved, time and money saved, people trained, services provided or other qualitative outcomes. • Articulate going above and beyond the call of duty. Specifically, explain how the nominated activity illustrates their unique professional and personal contributions not demonstrated in daily activities.

6. A. Select An Activity Continued • The activity must be completed. In order for an award narrative to be submitted, the activity must be complete. • Future awards. If an activity is still incomplete, keep it in mind for future award narratives after completion. • Discuss activities for awards during regular 1 on 1 sessions.

7. B. Materials to Have on Hand • Types of awards with descriptions • Compare the awards with the officer’s activities to identify the appropriate awards and criteria for each activity • Refer to the link for a complete list of awards and their descriptions: • http://dcp.psc.gov/PDF_docs/CCPM_P67.pdf • Award template (Title, Accomplishment, Background, Intervention, Impact, Conclusion)

8. C. “Overwriting” Awards • Some officers and supervisors try to nominate for higher level awards with activities that do not meet the award criteria. We refer to this practice as “overwriting.” • Some believe that “overwriting” will give officers an opportunity to earn higher level awards without regard to the award criteria. • The practice of “overwriting” is not encouraged.It does not give full credit to the award, the officer or peers. Reviewers will most likely return “overwritten” narratives.

9. D. Writing Guidelines • Include the officer’s: • full name • rank • PHS# • The narrative format: • may be up to two pages maximum • one inch margins • spell out all acronyms • no typos or white out • 12 point Times New Roman

10. E. Award Template NOMINATION FOR THE MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL FOR CDR GO FORIT (PHS# 33333) Accomplishment • The introductory paragraph must specifically describe the criteria for the nominated award, include a 25 word citation of the officer’s accomplishment, and state the period covered as written on the PHS -6342 Form Background • Describe the conditions that existed prior to accomplishment and include a concise and succinct description of officer’s current job duties

11. E. Award Template Continued Intervention Explain what was accomplished, the public health impact, using qualitative and quantitative data Impact/Outcome THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SECTION. Summarize and support this section with statistics or examples of data that may include saved resources, money, or personnel. Describe how the nominated activity illustrates their unique professional and personal contributions not demonstrated in daily activities. Illustrate their exemplary leadership and personal judgment in unusual circumstances that lead to a successful outcome or proactive activity (such as training). You may also demonstrate the officer’s career-long activities contributing to the PHS or local public health activities.

12. E. Award Template Continued Conclusion Write a highly structured closing. Include a brief synopsis of the impact and credit to the PHS and agency. This section should be brief, not exceeding 8 lines.

13. IV. Exercise: Writing An Effective Narrative A. General Writing Guidelines B. Good and Bad Examples of Narratives • Accomplishment • Background • Intervention • Impact/Outcome • Conclusion

14. General Writing Guidelines • Use active voice: Subject + verb • Examples of Active Voice: • “LT Grey provided care... • “LT Grey analyzed data… • “LT Grey lead team members…” • Avoid passive voice and unspecific terms • Unclear subject • Unclear relationship to activity • Unspecific terms like “various” and “essentially” • Examples of passive and unspecific voice • “LT Grey was involved in various aspects…” • “LT Grey had participated in multiple meetings” • “Goals were met”

15. Introductory Paragraph Bad Example ACCOMPLISHMENT The officer is being recognized for an award for what was accomplished during the recent emergency response. Last month, LT Grey was involved in various aspects for one of her state’s hurricanes. LT Grey stood out while being heavily engaged in her regular duties as well. It is without reservation that she be nominated for an award.

16. Introductory Paragraph Good Example ACCOMPLISHMENT LT Jean Grey is nominated for the PHS Citation to recognize her extraordinary leadership and contributions during the response to Hurricane Jessie for the HIV/AIDS Bureau.  From June 10 – 30, 2009, LT Grey provided significant support in response to Hurricane Jessie, collected grantee data rapidly, monitored 25 grantees, and communicated with local health departments for the HIV/AIDS Bureau in addition to her regular duties. 

17. Background Bad Example At that time, the Bureau was preparing to implement its bi-annual AGM.  Virtually all staff in the Bureau had been involved to some degree with various aspects of the planning for months.  In addition to her regular duties, LTGrey was included in multiple committees and work groups, and attended several meetings, helping to facilitate many group functions for this critical event.

18. Background Good Example From June 10-30, 2009, the HIV/AIDS Bureau planned to implement its bi-annual All Grantee Meeting (AGM) in July.  All Bureau staff contributed in planning and preparing for this meeting during the previous six months. LT Grey lead the planning and evaluation committees and served as the point of contact for all plenary speakers and panel members in addition to her regular project officer responsibilities for 25 grantees in the State of Florida.

19. Intervention Bad Example During this busy time, LT Grey was involved in a large number of additional hours and was assigned responsibilities in regards to the disaster. She was present various meetings with others addressing the issues that grantees were facing in affected areas. These meetings were crucial in how the agency was responding to the grantees’ multiple needs.  Critical data was collected by phone and e-mail and was later relayed to State officials. Resources were directed to the affected areas and LT Grey was pivotal throughout this entire time. LT Grey basically managed situations, and information was relayed to the appropriate people.

20. Intervention Good Example During the last three weeks of June 2009, an unusually busy period for the HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) and the Division of Community Based Programs, LT Grey spent over 40 additional hours beyond her normal working hours. She took the initiative to assume responsibilities for monitoring and responding to the needs of 25 community based clinics (grantees) affected by Hurricane Jessie in Florida in June 2009.  LT Grey worked with other Southern Branch staff to contact affected grantees in Florida to determine clinics’ status and ability to serve clients. She assessed their capacity needs and provided daily updates to the HRSA Emergency Operations Center on the status of HAB grantees.  LT Grey conducted daily phone calls and e-mail contact with grantees and Departments of Health in affected counties. She verified the accuracy of the grantee data for the affected areas and streamlined the data collection system used by the agency during the emergency response because the electronic handbook (EHB) did not function in June 2009.

21. Impact Bad Example Because of LT Grey’s multiple contributions and dedication, emergency goals were met and objectives were, in essence, accomplished. Grantee data was made available to appropriate personnel involved in the disaster response. Data collection tools were also updated to become the standard with which to monitor grantees. Members of the State’s response team were appreciative of LT Grey and the disaster response approach was essentially reorganized. It is hard to imagine where HRSA would be without this resource or a similar product and you would be hard pressed to find someone like LT Grey. Efforts and creativity in leading the Bureau during a crisis have positioned it to be a leading force in moving the HRSA towards becoming a more interactive, collaborative, and effective agency.

22. Impact Good Example LT Grey’s actions and leadership helped the HIV/AIDS Bureau and HRSA to meet all 4 of the emergency goals and 4 objectives during the Florida Hurricane in June 2009. LT Grey collected and communicated clinics’ operating status, capacity, and needs to HRSA and disaster response teams, minimizing service disruptions and clinic closures. All 5,000 HIV/AIDS clients served by her grantees received medications and clinical services through referrals because of LT Grey’s communication with county Departments of Health. LT Grey’s leadership made the additional impact of updating HRSA’s Emergency Response Team’s data collection tools. The State’s response team communicated their appreciation of LT Grey and explained how her leadership during the crisis increased communication and coordination of HIV/AIDS services among different state agencies.

23. Conclusion Bad Example LT Grey’s efforts have been beneficial to the bureau and others in so many ways.  I have been awed by her tireless work in the advancement of Public Health and her ready response to the most impactful Public Health Emergencies.She essentially rewrote the book on disaster response. Without her hard work and commitment, achieving the thorough and effective data collection system during a time of emergency, would not have been as effective and high quality.  It is without any reservation that I nominate LT Grey for an award. In my 39 years at HRSA, I have met few officers who can match the acumen, productivity, energy and dedication to duty that LT Grey exemplifies.

24. Conclusion Good Example LT Grey’s efforts benefited the HIV/AIDS Bureau and the mission of HRSA tremendously by providing care and treatment for the underserved, specifically, people with HIV/AIDS in areas affected by Hurricane Jessie in June, 2009.  Her hard work and commitment provided necessary clinical services for people with HIV/AIDS in the State of Florida during the response to Hurricane Jessie.