What is the Associate Recruiter Program?

In an effort to respond to the increasing need for health professionals in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), the Division of Commissioned Personnel (DCP), with the support of the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG), have re-initialized the Associate Recruiter Program (ARP). The ARP is committed to staffing USPHS and related Federal Agencies with knowledgeable health professionals.

What does an Associate Recruiter do?

The Associate Recruiter would be expected to conduct informal or formal recruitment presentations in uniform to interested and qualified individuals about professional opportunities in the Commissioned Corps.  Since this is a volunteer program, you would do these activities in addition to your normal duties.

What are the Associate Recruiter Program Requirements?

• Must enroll in the program officially for your efforts to be recognized by the corps. This is a volunteer program of active duty officers,  retired officers and COSTEP participants
• Must Accomplish at least two activities within a 12-month period.  Activities must be recorded on the official form, provided here in two formats:

          Available in Microsoft Word (activity.doc) and Adobe PDF (activity.pdf) formats.

          Please note:  If you wish to fill in the Microsoft Word version of a form and submit it via e-mail, instead of typing or handwriting onto a printed copy of the Adobe PDF version of the form, and that form requires a signature, such as the Enrollment Form and Reference Form below, you must provide either a scanned copy of the signature page(s) attached to the email with the rest of the form, or send a hard copy of the signature page(s) sent separately to the address below.  You may e-mail your applications to CDR Stephen Blackwell (Stephen.Blackwell@hhs.gov) ARP Coordinator.

• Contact at least 5 separate potential PHS applicants or conduct a presentation  to a group of five or more to talk about the Corps.
• Spend a minimum of 4 hours in a recruiting booth at a national or regional meeting

• Precept a Junior COSTEP, Senior COSTEP, resident or extern for 1 month

• Visit local high school for career day, class lecture to speak to students about opportunities in the USPHS

• Visit a school of the AR professional category in order to conduct a commissioning ceremony

• Develop an externship agreement between recruiter’s area of assignment and a college, to begin to take students OR continue an existing externship agreement to precept students  

What about support & recognition for efforts in the ARP?

• The HSO Category Lead or other points of contact for the ARP provided on this website can provide you with recruitment materials, such as presentation materials, handouts, CD-ROMs, video and other information.  In the near future, an order sheet for these materials will be available on this website.
• You will also receive the Associate Recruiter Badge to wear on your uniform.
• HSO Officers participating in the ARP will also be recognized by the PAC via the website, listserv and other mechanisms.
• The ARP and the HSO Category Lead can give you additional information on possible opportunities to get assistance with recruitment activities at national conferences or other events.

• For those who are really ambitious about recruitment, there are opportunities to earn ribbons based on numbers of new Officers recruited within an established period of time.  (Note:  You are not required to recruit a minimum number of new officers to participate in the ARP.)

What Schools are HSO Associate Recruiters affiliated with?

• Click here for a list of HSO ARs, and the colleges and universities they are recruiting from.

 Ready to start:

• Download and complete Enrollment Form:
  
  Available in Microsoft Word (enrollme.doc) and Adobe PDF (enrollme.pdf) formats.  See the note above if you plan on e-mailing your enrollment form.
   

• Download the Reference Request Forms and provide 3 references, an endorsement signature from your supervisor and 2 Corps (preferably) or civilian colleagues.

          Available in Microsoft Word (reference.doc) and Adobe PDF (reference.pdf) formats.  See the note above
          if you plan on e-mailing your reference forms.

Send the completed forms to via mail to:  CDR Stephen Blackwell, ARP Coordinator, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Plaza Level, Rockville, MD 20852