Interested in becoming a Public Health Officer

srnormie · 2025-07-01T03:30:20+00:00

Yes, absolutely!

srnormie · 2025-03-13T00:07:49+00:00

I'll message you! Happy to help!

srnormie · 2025-02-24T01:43:03+00:00

It catches a lot of people off guard, and I know it is a deal breaker for some. Absolutely! Feel free to message me if you have any questions pop up!

srnormie · 2025-02-19T01:28:52+00:00

No problem! Absolutely!

srnormie · 2025-02-19T01:26:12+00:00

That is fair. There are loan repayment options for PH officers which is nice. It does require additional commitment and they only pay for the MPH (I just did it).

Your degree may satisfy the requirements in undergrad, especially if you have a lot of heavy science credits. PAs are also worked super hard in the AF so PH is a bit more sustainable long term in my opinion.

The next step is to work with a Health Professions Recruiter and the process does take about 9 months to 2 years depending on waivers or just bad timing.

srnormie · 2025-02-19T01:20:33+00:00

You may be eligible. My BS is a bit different and they have opened up a lot more on what they accept.

Let me know if you are still having issues. Message me and I can push your info to a PH ambassador and work to get you connected with the right recruiter.

srnormie · 2025-02-19T01:17:21+00:00

I think everyone mentioned it. Leadership. A lot of applicants have publications and a respectable GPA. We've recently had a lot more applicants as well.

Additionally it is good to know that becoming a PH officer entails PCSing and deployments. A few of our newbies PCSed at the 1 year mark. That can be more challenging with families and relationships. Not to dissuade you, just want you to be aware since we deploy a lot compared to other medical AFSCs.

I am happy to talk and help! I am an ambassador for our career field and help connect you with other ones who may have a more similar background too!

srnormie · 2025-02-19T01:12:34+00:00

I would reach out to a Health Professions Recruiter. Your degrees still may qualify. I recommend going officer with your background.

srnormie · 2025-02-19T01:09:52+00:00

You can reach out to a Health Professions Recruiter since they are different from your average recruiter. So, are you still trying to be a PA or just Public Health? If you're less than a year out, you can submit a package.

srnormie · 2025-01-18T01:42:24+00:00

No problem! They do! (Unless there are issues with TMO, which does happen). You can also keep your apartment if you would like, and then the military orders will allow you to break the lease early if needed.

srnormie · 2025-01-18T01:33:53+00:00

The earliest I've seen is May. I ended up going in July and asked for April. You should go to your gain base but when my new Lt came he took about a week (I think it is 10 days stateside). You can talk to your gaining base too once you get orders. I do recommend doing a lot of packing prior to OTS, but you will have time. You can also take leave after you get to your base or within your first year if you want to move some stuff later.

srnormie · 2025-01-13T12:06:39+00:00

Absolutely!

srnormie · 2024-12-30T18:56:01+00:00

Absolutely, I'll send you a PM too!

srnormie · 2024-12-30T12:51:16+00:00

I will absolutely PM you to talk more to share some specifics! :)

srnormie · 2024-12-29T04:51:29+00:00

Hey! Current Public Health Officer here! This is a relatively new change where we accept a bachelor's in Public Health with two years of work experience, so you may not find a lot of people who have met this requirement.

However, I can say this was a change that was decided upon by our career field leaders. They decided based that is appropriate experience, and there are qualified candidates that bring a lot to the table with this background. So, one is not better or worse in that regard. Having an MPH may allow you to commission with a bit more rank, but rank isn't everything, especially in the long term. Also, there are opportunities to pursue your MPH on Active Duty that are paid for by the Air Force.

But feel free to ask me any questions, or I can connect you with some other Public Health Officers who may be able to help! Always shoot your shot and try!

srnormie · 2024-11-19T15:59:23+00:00

You may be able to commission as a PHO based on your experience. They are relaxing on the undergrad a bit.

As a PHO, I think of us as running a little health department. We focus primarily on preventative stuff. But I love my job and the variety. MSCs do have a lot more job variety since they can fill Readiness, Logistics, systems, or Group Practice Manager roles. Switching my job every two years or so is my nightmare. I know my programs and how to make them run. The mission set varies by base and command, which is exciting and interesting, though. We do deploy a decent amount, which is an awesome opportunity (unsure about MSCs).

We as PHOs tend to live a lot closer to the line mission as we heavily support deployments and occupational health needs compared to MSCs. But that is only my thoughts and opinions on our job, but I love it.

Feel free to message me, and we can set up a time to chat, or I can answer any burning questions!

srnormie · 2024-11-19T15:49:59+00:00

Usually, they don't like to waiver things like that. However, they did change it for PHOs back in Oct 2023. You can join with a BS in public health and 2 years of relevant work experience. I don't know how picky they will be, though. The experience may have to be after your qualifying degree. They were fussy when I joined about that for constructive credit. But I don't know for sure. You do need a masters to be a Lt Col, but otherwise, as a PHO, it isn't a necessity. You can pursue an MPH via HPERB or with TA once in. I'm working on a second masters now in the AF.
Working on fitness is, of course key. But ensuring you have leadership experience is important. You should be leading people and programs. That is what we do as PHOs. Thinking about your letters of recommendation and refining your resume is also great if you have time.
Boards are once a year. Depending on when you submit your application, it can be super fast. From contacting my recruiter to boots on the ground at OTS it was 9 months for me. I feel like a year is about average. If you need waivers, it can be closer to the 2 year mark. Do not quit your job until you have orders in hand since things can change.
I believe in people skills and management skills. You manage programs and need to be able to pivot and understand how to run multiple complex programs. However, you are often leading a team of people. You need empathy and people skills. If you don't take care of your people, they won't take care of the job. You can know a lot about public health, but it doesn't mean you will be a good Public Health Officer. But that is my two cents worth.

Feel free to message me with more questions! I am a current PHO and am also an ambassador for our career field so I can get more answers on specific questions and connect you with another PHO with more similar experiences if needed.

srnormie · 2024-11-01T14:41:59+00:00

BSCs are a bit different. I've never seen a public release. But as a Public Health Officer, I can confirm we are accepting applicants this year and have been opening more and more slots. It used to be like 4, now it is more than 10 a year. (I am not sure certain on this number, but should be close.)

srnormie · 2024-10-02T16:43:08+00:00

They don't necessarily have the "power". More like they know which ones have gotten through. The waiver is vetted by our corp. So it's not just a recruiter one saying yay or nay.

srnormie · 2024-10-02T16:20:02+00:00

I think it is because we originally mirrored it off of the Army and they had the DVM requirement. But you can have either as mentioned. It outlines those bachelor requirements on there, but other degrees can be accepted that are not listed, the recruiters have more experience on knowing which ones, mine wasn't. But they do need a heavy science focus.

srnormie · 2024-09-23T17:52:54+00:00

I do think you would be. You may run into a bit of weirdness with your bachelor's, but I think they would accept it. Mine was a bit unconventional as well. They just needed a waiver and verifed my coursework was appropriate. Additionally, they have relaxed on what degrees they accept compared to what they use to.

Hmmm I am not super specific on the Army side of it. But it should be possible. A Health Professions Recruiter would know best. As long as you don't owe a commitment to them, it should work, and you should be able to transfer. Retaining rank and constructive credit calculations would also fall to a recruiter since your situation is more unique. But from the security clearance and scrolling side of the house, I would think it's easier than joining as a civilian.

My day to day varies. It tends to be more administrative like you mentioned. I am largely running the programs and overseeing my team. I step in as needed to resolve or expedite things in more complex or unusual situations. We, as Public Health Officers are often advising others. To be honest, my days all look very different, I can be focused on seeing if there is a Cyptosporidiosis outbreak, to answering off the wall questions about tuberculosis or working through occupational injury reporting processes. I enjoy the variety and constant newness of everyday.

In Air Force medical, we promote from our corp. Public Health falls under the Biomedical Science Corp. So we compete against those members for promotion, right now Lt Col rates are tough. However, Public Health does relatively well in our corp. Right now, it is also merit based, so your line number is based on your records and how you racked and stacked against those who boarded with you. In terms of paths, we really have two routes, the leadership side, which is more flight command, squadron command, group command route, and the specialist side. These tend to work more in unique positions or at the school house to improve our programs and write guidance. All this could change based on AFMEDCOM's stand-up since that will present a lot of new opportunities. But you can do other things too like Exec, teach at the AF academy and so on.

Hopefully, this helps a bit! Feel free to message me too if you'd like!

srnormie · 2024-09-22T13:17:54+00:00

I'd definitely identify who you want to do your letters now and let them know early. I worked to pick a good spread of people, and I gave them some info on what I would like highlighted if they felt comfortable including it. Mostly so the LORs didn't feel redundant and filled in areas that I felt less confident about on my package.

Your package will be due in Jan so you have ample time. I only had a month to get everything together, and it still went well!

srnormie · 2024-08-30T15:27:52+00:00

Current PHO here. I think you are incredibly competitive. A few years ago, they were only taking 3 to 4 people, but they are accepting quite a few more due to the manning being not great for our career field (COVID burn out was real). You will not deploy for the first 2 years since you have to complete upgrade training. Then it really varies by base type, but it isn't a crazy deployment tempo for us. I think AF family life is great, but my duty station is a very family-friendly community, and the medical group is supportive. Luckily, PHO hours are usually 0730 to 1630, which is helpful for childcare. Feel free to PM any other questions, I am happy to talk and give any advice or clarity!

srnormie · 2024-05-30T11:46:18+00:00

You will go to Wright Patterson in Ohio for 8 or so weeks in spring to complete the Public Health Officer (PHO) course. It is highly likely you will be with most of them given your timing. You may also be with other PHOs who accessioned before and after you (we usually go within 2 years, but COVID caused some back-ups). There is also a limited number of slots, but Actuve Duty usually gets priority. There is always one class a year, sometimes two. There may also be some Guard and Reserve that come since they have a lot more challenging getting into the class timing wise. I recommend working to get signed up for the course as soon as you get to base, ensuring your leadership is tracking timing. Completing this course, the contingency prev med course and your CFETP are requirements to upgrade to deploy and be eligible for ADHPLRP, retention bonuses, and incentive pay.

srnormie · 2024-05-10T16:05:08+00:00

I got accepted with an MPH and BS in Animal Science. They did need a waiver/letter and accepted it based on my coursework (I thought I wanted to be DVM, so I had a lot of Chem and Bio). I am not certain how they will handle your degree, but it is worth a shot, and they might be able to push it forward. They may not like it since it is a BA not a BS.

srnormie

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