Long time lurker here... I'm a P2, and am really interested in finding out more about the public health service and working for them in the future. I understand that you can work either as a civilian or as a commissioned officer. I also understand that the PHS commissioned corps is one of the uniformed services of the US govt. My understanding is that they are not part of the U.S. armed forces, i.e. they are not part of the department of defense, but rather they are under the department of health and human services.
What am I getting at, is can anyone clarify if officers can be openly gay in the PHSCC, or does the "don't ask don't tell" policy apply here? I'm not asking about if it's a good idea to be openly gay while working on an indian reservation or in a federal prison or whatever, I'm wondering if there is any official policy in the PHS that is similar to DADT?
(Who knows if by the time I graduate DADT will still be relevant even in the US armed forces... but that's sort of besides the point for right now.)
Thanks for any clarification.
ETA:
I guess I found my answer here: http://www.equalitymaryland.org/pdfs/dadt_survival_guide.pdf
The Public Health Service (PHS) is one of the seven
"uniformed services" but it is not part of the "armed
forces." While the entire PHS can be militarized, this
has not been done since the Korean War. As a general
rule, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't
Harass" does not apply to Public Health Service
(PHS) commissioned officers. Being openly gay is
neither a bar to appointment in the PHS nor a bar to
continued service. PHS officers "when assigned to or
serving with the armed forces"164 (Army, Navy, Air
Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard), are subject to
the UCMJ, including Article 125 (Sodomy), Article 133
(Conduct Unbecoming), and Article 134 (Indecent
Acts), and military regulations, including "Don't Ask,
Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass."
In peacetime, PHS officers usually have the ability to
decline a posting to the military and, in turn, avoid any
difficulty. In wartime, the ability to decline a post will
most likely be over ridden by the needs of the service.
Though if anyone has anything to add, confirm , or negate, I'd appreciate it.
On another note, I was also wondering what the medical examination entails, and what medical conditions would exclude one from being able to serve in the PHSCC? Anyone know where I could find that information?
What am I getting at, is can anyone clarify if officers can be openly gay in the PHSCC, or does the "don't ask don't tell" policy apply here? I'm not asking about if it's a good idea to be openly gay while working on an indian reservation or in a federal prison or whatever, I'm wondering if there is any official policy in the PHS that is similar to DADT?
(Who knows if by the time I graduate DADT will still be relevant even in the US armed forces... but that's sort of besides the point for right now.)
Thanks for any clarification.
ETA:
I guess I found my answer here: http://www.equalitymaryland.org/pdfs/dadt_survival_guide.pdf
The Public Health Service (PHS) is one of the seven
"uniformed services" but it is not part of the "armed
forces." While the entire PHS can be militarized, this
has not been done since the Korean War. As a general
rule, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't
Harass" does not apply to Public Health Service
(PHS) commissioned officers. Being openly gay is
neither a bar to appointment in the PHS nor a bar to
continued service. PHS officers "when assigned to or
serving with the armed forces"164 (Army, Navy, Air
Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard), are subject to
the UCMJ, including Article 125 (Sodomy), Article 133
(Conduct Unbecoming), and Article 134 (Indecent
Acts), and military regulations, including "Don't Ask,
Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass."
In peacetime, PHS officers usually have the ability to
decline a posting to the military and, in turn, avoid any
difficulty. In wartime, the ability to decline a post will
most likely be over ridden by the needs of the service.
Though if anyone has anything to add, confirm , or negate, I'd appreciate it.
On another note, I was also wondering what the medical examination entails, and what medical conditions would exclude one from being able to serve in the PHSCC? Anyone know where I could find that information?
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