What were the steps taken and products developed to implement the first Sizing Workgroup recommendations to increase the size of the Corps?
The first Sizing Working Policy and Design Group (WPDG) met from March through July 2007. As a result of their efforts, an updated sizing model and paper, as well as three retention surveys, were drafted. The surveys are currently being edited for pilot dissemination and evaluation. The surveys would be administered to three target groups: first, newly commissioned officers; second, officers planning on retiring; and third, officers who have completed 5, 10, or 15 years with the Corps. In addition to these products, the WPDG initiated the collection of HHS vacancy information and recommended that a senior-level workgroup be established to assess future Corps officer staffing needs within HHS.
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Why was a second sizing WPDG created and what was their responsibility?
The second WPDG was established in the summer of 2007 to focus on force strength issues and assess potential officer staffing needs across the Federal Government. The workgroup consisted of senior-level representatives from HHS and other Federal agencies and met biweekly until January 2008. The WDPG used the sizing model and other updated data and information to develop an agency vacancy matrix that was cross-indexed by both professional category and functional grouping. More than 3,500 potential vacancies were identified across the Federal Government, of which over 1,400 were located in IHS and almost 1,000 were in non-HHS organizations (BOP, DHS, DOD , etc.). With regard to professional category, over 1,000 nursing, 500 medical, and 200 pharmacist vacancies were identified. From a functional perspective, almost 2,000 of the vacancies were clinical in nature, and over 1,000 were in applied public health. The second WPDG also initiated the identification of total HHS health professional positions by professional category and agency in order to determine potential future opportunities for Corps officer placement as well.
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With the emphasis to increase the number of officers in the clinical categories (Dental, Medical, Nurse, and Pharmacy), is it true that there will be a decrease in the number of officers in the non-clinical categories?
The Transformation is focusing on recruiting more officers for the big four (Dental, Medical, Nurse, and Pharmacy) categories, however, the Corps will continue to recruit qualified candidates for all the other categories.
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Are there additional appropriations of funding to hire the 3,500 officers necessary to achieve the work force requested by the departments and agencies? Is there a chance that the Health and Medical Response (HAMR) team will get funded this cycle?
The Sizing Working Policy Development Group identified 3,500 funded positions across the Federal Government that are potentially available for Corps officer placement. We are working closely with our agency partners to recruit and assign as many Corps officers as possible into those positions. Although it is unlikely that supplemental funding will be available for the HAMR teams in FY08, the President's FY09 budget request includes funding for them.
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What is the Corps doing internally to recruit and accommodate for the projected increase of applicants and their placement without risking the quality of the Corps?
There are major efforts currently underway: 1) as part of increasing visibility, a marketing campaign was launched in April 2007 with new brochures and advertisement, 2) an electronic application system is being developed to replace the hard copy application, 3) the time it takes to commission an applicant is currently under evaluation with the goal being to minimize the time it takes to complete the security clearance, appointment board decision, and medical review which are critical steps to be completed before commissioning an applicant.
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There are some officers, particularly Permanent O-6s and above, who refuse to meet the readiness standards. How will the Corps address these officers, who are supposed to be role models and mentors?
It is the responsibility of every Corps officer to be in compliance with our policies and procedures. The CPOs have taken on the task to engage those officers who are non-compliant and should be serving as role models and mentoring and advising the junior officers. While this approach has been yielding benefits, it is also apparent that some officers will not comply even when encouraged to do so. As part of the Transformation, a more comprehensive set of disciplinary policies are being developed and reviewed. Officers’ compliance with conditions of service such as readiness standards will be addressed in these new policies.
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