The role of physician assistants (PAs) in the US Coast Guard is to provide healthcare to uniformed members of the armed services and their dependents (Figures 1 and 2). The Coast Guard is a branch of the US Armed Forces and performs domestic and international missions. During peacetime, it operates under the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) but may come under the Department of the Navy during times of war. PAs in the Coast Guard serve as a part of a broad healthcare team. Read the full article here
What is the US Public Health Service?
U.S. Public Health Service
The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps is a team of more than 6,000 public health professionals filling the mission of public health promotion, disease prevention and advancing public health science. As one of America’s seven uniformed services, the Commissioned Corps fills essential public health leadership and service roles within multiple federal government agencies and programs. A few of the federal agencies USPHS officers work in include the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Indian Health Service (IHS), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).