• Readiness and Deployment Branch (RDB)

  READINESS ESSENTIALS

  For detailed information on proper completion of each readiness requirement, please review the "Readiness: Down-To-Basics" guide.

  Every officer, including those on any type of waiver or with possible medical reasoning for weight issues, MUST complete and submit the NEW Verified Weight Report form PHS-7044-1 by 11:59 p.m. ET on Sept. 30, 2018 through the electronic Document Upload (eDOC-U) under the Readiness category. Please view the Corps Retention Weight Standards webpage for more information.

  all officers on extended active duty (active duty period in excess of 120 days) must meet and maintain readiness standards. These standards include, but are not necessarily limited to:

  1. current medical examination;
  2. current certification in Basic Life Support for healthcare providers or ARC CPR/AED for the professional rescuer;
  3. Successful completion of all required training modules;
  4. Annual physical fitness test;
  5. current professional license/certification/registration appropriate for the professional discipline;
  6. current immunizations;
  7. Record of the height/weight standards and body mass index;
  8. Having all required uniforms; and
  9. Any additional standards necessary to meet the basic level of readiness as defined by the ASH or his/her designee.

  Officers are strongly recommended to have a Family Care Plan in the event of an emergency and/or response.

  Responsibility for obtaining the necessary physicals, training, inoculations, uniforms and meeting any other readiness standards rests with the individual officer.

  Responsibility for assuring that documentation reflecting an officer’s readiness level rests with the individual officer.

  All officers are REQUIRED to ensure that RAB is able to contact them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please ensure your information is updated in the “RAB Self Service” application in the Officer Secure Area (OSA) of CCMIS. The RAB Self-Service application is the ONLY official resource to update and provide contact information.

  Readiness training is based upon the capabilities found to fulfill the mission and anticipated response requirements (e.g., the knowledge, skills, and preparedness of response teams). The purpose of the training is to ensure that the qualifications of the Commissioned Corps response members selected for deployment are appropriate to the task at hand.

  Sets of knowledge, skills, and preparatory experiences are required for Corps officers in all deployment roles. These are related to core public health principles, deployment to field conditions, health emergencies and federal response.

  For more information about training, please visit the RAB Training webpage.

  PHYSICAL FITNESS REQUIREMENTS

  All officers are required to pass the Annual Physical Fitness Test (APFT). Additionally, all officers must have a current medical exam on file with Medical Affairs (renewed every 5-years).

  Disaster settings often require physical activity by deploying officers, to include working over 12 hour days (sometimes standing all day), lifting, unloading,walking significant distances, climbing stairs, building tents, and carrying equipment and supplies. Some officers, although very capable clinicians, become liabilities rather than assets when required to exert themselves physically.

  The Annual Physical Fitness Evaluation (APFT) determines an officer's cardiovascular and muscular fitness and endurance. These are measured through a combination of exercises and events. See Current Physical Fitness Standards

  As of December 1, 2017, the “RAB Self Service” application in the Officer Secure Area (OSA) of CCMIS is the official APFT system of record. Current and previous APFT information is available in RAB Self Service area.

  For guidance on how to use the RAB Self Service application please review the "Readiness: Down-To-Basics" guide. Ensure all information posted for your current and previous APFTs is correct.

  IMMUNIZATIONS

  Submit immunization documents to medical affairs by following instructions at: https://dcp.psc.gov/ccmis/Medical%20Affairs/MA_immunizations_m.aspx. DO NOT mail immunization documents unless directed by Medical Affairs. Upload your immunization via eDOC-U. Medical Affairs enters all medical information, NOT RAB.

  Officers are required to obtain the following immunizations and/or boosters:

  • Hepatitis A and B series
  • Measles/Mumps/Rubella (MMR)
  • Tetanus/Diphtheria (Td)
  • Varicella
  • Influenza (annually)
  • Tuberculosis (PPD) - Officers are also to be screened having two negative tuberculin skin test (TST) results no greater than 12 months apart or a single negative interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) test.

  Health care workers (HCWs) are at risk for exposure to and possible transmission of vaccine-preventable diseases because of their direct contact with the public and patients or infective material from patients. Maintenance of immunity is an essential part of prevention and infection control programs for HCWs. Optimal use of immunizing agents safeguards the health of workers and protects the public from becoming infected through exposure by infected workers. Consistent immunization programs substantially reduce both the number of susceptible HCWs and the attendant risks for transmission of vaccine-preventable diseases to other workers and the public.

  Persons who deploy during emergencies are placed at additional risk, as they may operate in areas where hygienic conditions, sanitation or infrastructure are compromised. For example, some outbreaks of Hepatitis A are associated with sewage-contaminated water or inadequately treated water; conditions that are frequently encountered during disasters.

  Health care workers are considered to be at risk for acquiring or transmitting hepatitis B, influenza, measles, mumps, rubella and varicella. All of these diseases are vaccine-preventable. The ACIP recommends immunization of HCWs for these diseases.

  The Officer Secure Area (OSA) dashboard on CCMIS is the current platform for officers to review their immunizations details.

  CLINICAL SERVICE HOURS

  In order to be placed in a clinical role on a Ready Roster, officers must maintain clinical proficiency by accruing a minimum of 80 clinical hours per year in that role.

  BASIC LIFE SUPPORT (BLS)

  All officers are required to have current training in Basic Life Support (BLS) at the level of healthcare provider.

  BLS training is not simply Adult Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). It must include Adult, Pediatric, and Infant CPR and Foreign Body Airway Obstruction (FBAO) as well as training in the use of an Automatic Electric Defibrillator (AED).

  Officers must complete and maintain currency in one of the following basic life support (BLS) training classes:

  • American Heart Association (AHA) Basic Life Support for health care providers
  • AHA Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
  • American Red Cross CPR/AED for the professional rescuer
  • American Safety and Health Institute (ASHI) CPR for the professional rescuer (CPR PRO)
  • Instructor certification for any of the above courses
  • Another basic life support training that is equivalent to the courses listed above and which is reviewed and approved by the SG.

  BLS compliance is verified through eDOC-U submission into your eOPF. When the certificate is uploaded to eDOC-U, the information will generate into the RAB Self Service application. Ensure your certificate is in your eOPF and your expiration date is correct in the RAB Self-Service application.

  For guidance on how to use the RAB Self Service application, please review the "Readiness: Down-To-Basics" guide.

  Last Updated: 8/28/2023
• USER ASSISTANCE

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  Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Mission - Deployments Readiness Updates

  As we position ourselves to assist with controlling the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), please note that we’re in an “all-hands on deck” status. Messaging has gone out from the Assistant Secretary for Health reminding Commissioned Corps officers of their deployment responsibilities...

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