Managing Your PHS Career

1. Managing Your PHS Career Captain Janice Huy Jhuy@cdc.gov

2. Career Development Objectives • To understand the Officer’s responsibilities and importance of personal choices • To understand the promotion precepts and how they influence an Officer’s promotability • To learn effective techniques for writing a CV.

3. Officer Responsibilities • Plan ahead • Make yourself valuable • Know the 6 promotion precepts • Submit an effective COER • Have a well-written CV

4. Plan Ahead • Don’t wait until promotion year to plan • Know where you want to be in your career when you are ready for your next promotion

5. Make Yourself Valuable • Learn new skills • Assume more responsibilities • Know the mission of the PHS and your agency • Know what your supervisor expects of you • Get involved in professional associations and committees

6. Know the Promotion Precepts

7. Performance-COER • Keep a running list of work completed • Summarize and give to supervisor with COER • List goals and objectives which are outcome-oriented and not the same every year • Supervisor comments should be specific and legible

8. COER • COER ratings of all ‘E’ are regarded with suspicion if not supported by good comments and awards. • Comments should not be the same from year to year. • Provide your supervisor with your own estimation of performance and comments supporting those ratings

9. Supervisor Comments Ability to work with others • “Gets along with others.” • “Officer strives to work closely with all parties to achieve consensus of difficult issues. She has the ability to get the job done while ensuring that each team member is recognized for their contributions.

10. Career Progression • Billet • Level of responsibility • Management and supervisory duties • Impact and accomplishments • Contributions to PHS and Agency

11. Mobility • Geographic vs Programmatic • Lateral vs Upward • Too much vs Not enough • Needs of agency

12. Awards • Needed to support COER scores • Board considers Agency attitude toward awards • Used to distinguish officers • Non-PHS awards and letters of recognition

13. Career Potential • Future value to the Corps • Ability to perform at a high grade • Long term commitment to the Corps

14. Agency Recommendation • Attend seminars sponsored by the Agency • Be involved with committees within the Agency

15. Curriculum Vitae • Attach an easy-to-read cover sheet which summarizes promotion precepts • Update each year • Make sure it is clear and succinct • Show career progression and increasing level of responsibility • Just the facts - no hot air!

16. Avoid • Small type and narrow margins • Non-traditional styles, watermarks, double sided. • Long paragraphs listing everything you’ve ever done • Long Listing of continuing education classes - especially those that are required by the agency • Agency-specific jargon

17. Do • Follow your categories’ CV guidelines • 12 point font type, 1” margins, lots of white space • Summarize duties into short bulleted list • List accomplishments and impact • List continuing education when it demonstrates increasing range of knowledge • Be clear and succinct

18. Example CV-Summary PHS# 12345 LT Nancy Nutritionist, R.D., M.P.H. June 2000 Career Progression: Public Health Nutritionist October 1999-present Staff Dietician June 1997- September 1999 Assignment or Geographic Mobility: IHS Phoenix, AZ October 1999-present NIH, Bethesda, MD June 1997- September 1999 Awards: Citation June 1999 Unit Commendation September 1998 Career Potential: Certified Diabetic Educator 1999-2000

19. Example CV-Layout LT Dietitian PHS# PHS Agency Address Phone E-mail Date Career Objective Education Professional Licenses Work Experience and Accomplishments Awards Professional Affiliation

20. Example CV-Position Description Public Health Nutritionist September 1995-August 1998 Indian Health Service, Fort Peck Service Unit Poplar, Montana Duties: Plan, Develop, implement, and evaluate public health nutrition services at the Fort Peck Service Unit. Provide nutrition counseling to individuals, groups, and in home settings. Serve as Quality Assurance Coordinator for the Service Unit. Accomplishments: Through consultation with program staff, the Head Start and Elderly Feeding nutrition programs were brought into compliance with federal regulations. Developed standards of care for Well-Child Clinic.

21. Position Description: Poor Example Public Health Nutritionist September 1995-August 1998 Indian Health Service, Fort Peck Service Unit Poplar, Montana Counseled women at prenatal clinics. Conducted group prenatal nutrition classes. Made home visits to prenatal clients. Reviewed charts of prenatal clients and selected those to be referred for nutrition counseling. Counseled children and their parents as part of well-child clinic. Helped them with menu development. Held a summer weight class in which children were taught good nutrition, menu development, exercise and cooking.

22. Position Description: Revised Public Health Nutritionist September 1995-August 1998 Indian Health Service, Fort Peck Service Unit Poplar, Montana Provided nutrition counseling to individuals, groups, and in home settings. Conducted a series of 8 prenatal classes which had a 98% attendance rate and resulted in 80% of women choosing to breastfeed. Decreased referrals to nutritionist by 15% by developing and implementing referral protocols in well-child clinic. This ensures most in need are referred for nutrition counseling.

23. CV Review • Take advantage of CV Reiew services within your category. • Scientist Category provides review • If unavailable, find an experienced officer who will review your CV.