US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Nurses: Responding in Times of National Need

Debisette, Annette Tyree; Martinelli, Angela M.; Couig, Mary Pat; Braun, Michelle

The US Public Health Service (PHS) is one of 7 uniformed services operating for the nation. Nurses form the largest category of personnel in the PHS and are integral members of teams identified to deploy in times of national need. PHS nurses serve “in harm's way” to protect and defend the public health of the nation during national emergencies and disasters of great magnitude, such as 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the H1N1 virus outbreak, and so forth. In this article, the authors discuss how active-duty Commissioned Corps nurses in the US PHS respond during times of national need. Military nurses may be asked to serve in war zones, participate in humanitarian missions, and care for military beneficiaries. By contrast, the role of nurses in the Commissioned Corps is to protect, defend, and advance the public health of the nation. PHS nurses are critical members of interdisciplinary health care teams organized to provide health care to diverse populations in the United States and abroad.