putting pen to paper: writing commissioned corps awards lcdr david hunter commissioned corps liaison...

Putting Pen to Paper:Writing Commissioned Corps Awards

LCDR David HunterCommissioned Corps Liaison

Office of Public Health Preparedness and ResponseCenters for Disease Control and Prevention

11-20-13 slides with appendix and resources1

Disclaimer• The content of this presentation is a anecdotally

compiled assortment of information, suggestions and tips gathered from officer feedback.

• It is not intended to reflect the intent or position of the CDC Commissioned Corps Awards Board.

• The purpose of this presentation is to provide officers with suggestions, helpful hints, and general guidance for writing strong awards nominations.

• Officers should confer with their awards representative for specific policies, deadlines, and parameters for submitting nominations.

2

One day, your supervisor says,

“You deserve an award for this work.”

3

…and now what?

&

4

Here is your canvas…

5

1” Margins

2 pages

12 point fontTimes New Roman

6

Four Sections to the Narrative

Award Narrative

Conclusion

Accomplishments

Impacts

Introduction

7

Defining “Accomplishment”

Answers the question:

What did the officer do?

Action-

oriented!

8

Make a List

LCDR John Doe did…1)2)3)4)5)6)

9

Writing Guidelines

Use action verbs

Avoid the passive tense

Avoid jargon

Avoid technical language

Be clear and concise

Excise irrelevant details

Clearly identify how the officer showed leadership

Quantify as much as possible

Action Verbs:

LedDirected

CoordinatedWrote

PlannedImplemented

PerformedProvided

EstablishedFacilitatedDeliveredDesigned

10

Example Accomplishment

LCDR John Doe created a technical assistance program.

11A1

#s and %s

LCDR John Doe created a technical assistance program for improving emergency operations activities at local health departments.

How did he demonstrat

e leadership?

What other pieces of this project can be

counted?

For who?

How many people

attended?

How many activities?

What activities did this include?

A1 12

Conducted 10 webinar trainings

Conducted 6 site visits

Created 4 job aid tools

Developed 3 action plans

Reviewed 20 project proposals

LCDR Doe...

#s and %s

13

Conducted 10 webinar trainings

LCDR Doe...

#s and %s

•112 participants•Recorded sessions accessed 73 times

14

Conducted 6 site visits

LCDR Doe...

#s and %s

• 60 staff attended• 13 drills

observed• 6

recommendation reports written

15

Impacts… (They’re why any of this work matters)

16

Defining “Impact”

Answers the question:

What happened as a result of the officer’s

work?

Outcome-

oriented!

17

Actions and Effects

A Health Department Emergency

Operations Center functions better.

18

LCDR John Doe implements a

technical assistance program

List the Effects of Your Work

As a result of this project, the following things happened…

A)B)C)D)E)F)

19

Writing Guidelines

Do not use future tense

Use quantitative information (avoid general terms like “many” and “some”)

Common measures that demonstrate impact

Lives saved Illnesses reduced or prevented Increased/improved behavior of receiving

party/audience Increased accessibility to resources Increased efficiency of operations, actions,

interventions Financial savings Staff time and energy savings

20

#’s and %’s

How do they operate better?

Faster?

As a result of this technical assistance program, local health departments are able to better operate their Emergency Operations Centers.

Cheaper?

More effective?

21

#’s and %’s

Faster!

Cheaper!

More effective!

HD’s reduced time to assemble key staff after a disaster by 50% to under 1 hour.

Elimination of duplicated activities reduced costs by $1K per month.

HD staff demonstrated an knowledge increase of 25% after receiving the training

22

Writing Strong Impact Statements

-Broad, grand, or lengthy effects-Quantitative results -Causal link firmly established-Measurable effects of activities-Causal link demonstrated

-Vague description-Weak association with activities

23

Accomplishment: LCDR Doe delivered a training course to 100 staff from the state health department.

24

Health department staff completed the training course.

75% of staff (n=100) performed the training skill correctly, increasing production of deliverables by 30% during the first quarter.

Between the pre- and post-tests, knowledge increased among the 100 staff from the health department by 25%.

Poor

Good

Great

A1

Formatting (It matters more than you think)

25

Two Common Patterns

Basic format

Background Accomplishments Impact Summary

Sequential format

Background Accomplishment #1 Impact #1 Accomplishment #2 Impact #2 Accomplishment #3 Impact #3 Summary

26

Organizing Text

Paragraphs

Bullets

A2 27

Relating Impacts to Accomplishments

2

1

3

2

1

3

B

A

C

B

A

C

Basic or Sequential

Format

BasicFormat

2

1

3

A BasicFormat

Accomplishments

Impacts

28

• “Chunk” text• Use headers• Do not justify

Putting it All Together

• Group ‘like’ activities

• Choose logical order

• Concise• Plain language• Jargon-free• Short

29

Building Your Introduction: Cited For…

Rank, Name, PHS number, and award nomination centered at top

“Cited for” section

30

Leading with a Clear Opening Statement

LCDR John Doe is nominated for the ____________ for ______ ___________________________ from [mm/yyyy] to [mm/yyyy].

A

High-level description of the work and impacts

achieved

B

31

For Unit Awards: Naming Your Team

Be specific

Keep it simple

Describe the project purpose

“Team” is loosely defined

Use the name to separate one award from another

32

Factors that Determine the Appropriate Award Level

Award

Level

Scope of impact

Level of Achieveme

ntLeadership

Length of Time

33A3

Snapshot of landscape

Describe the problemSet the stage

Minimize Background Section

34

Cap Your Narrative with a Brief Synopsis

Keep it simple Reiterate overarching

work Aim for 4-5 lines

35

Timing it right (Wait…but not too long)

36

When do I submit?

•Activities completed

• Impacts visible

•Natural break point

•Timeframe expiring

•Up for promotion

•Additional activities up coming

•Can cluster with related activities

•Not urgent for promotion

GO HOLD

37

Clustering Projects into a Common Theme

Time

Project A

Project B Project D

Project C Project E Project F

38

Nominations Can Expire

13 months from the final activity Nominator must sign the 6342 form within

timeframe

1/2012 10/2011 2/20139/2011

Outbreak response for illness

XEND

Protocol for illness X revised

39

Package it up (the easy stuff)

40

The Complete Packet

41

1.Forms

2.Narrative

3.Award History

4.Unit award attachments

A4

Earthquake Preparedness Response Team

CAPT Jake Sully

02/2011OUC 02/2012

LT Brenda Smith9999900000

CDC/OPHPR/DX/XBCDC/OPHPR/DX/XB

CDR Renee Brown, Associate Director, OPHPRRenee Brown 03.2012

Ann Walker, Chief, XB

CAPT Joe Smith, Director, DX

Dr. Ali Khan, Director, OPHPR

EXAMPLE Note: blue font just for presentation visibility purposes

Outstanding response efforts in the wake of a 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Reno, Nevada

12

3

4

5

42A4

“Cited For”

Excise the “cited for” section word for word from the narrative and insert into the 6342 form.

“Cited for” section

43

123 characters

John Hancocks (Good ole’ blue or black)

44

Getting Signatures

Required signatures include: Nominator Branch Chief Division Director EPO Director for EIS Officers Center Director

Signatures are only required for the officer’s operational unit and above

Each Division follows a different process Consult with your Awards Board Rep for

specific instructions

Example:Officer Jones works in his Division OD office; therefore, only division and center signatures would be required

45

Nominator Selection

Who can be a nominator? Generally, anyone can be a nominator Do not nominate your own supervisor

Confer with an officer before nominating them

The nominator for a Unit Award cannot also be listed as a participant

46

Endorsement Signatures

Nominator’s signature dated first

Dates must be in chronological order

Two or more sequential dates can be the same

CMCMCM

4/8/124/8/124/11/12

OK

47

Endorsement Challenges

PHS 6342 forms have room for 3 endorsements

Additional endorsements go in the comments section

1

2

3

4

48A4

Recognition of Non-Officers on Unit Awards

Non-officers must be recognized elsewhere

Usually done via CDC awards nominations

Example

A4

Lots of red ink (Minimizing revisions)

50

Interpreting Comments from the Board

51Rejected

Return and resubmit next cycle

Return and resubmit at lower level

Approved with minor edits at lower level or revise and resubmit at

same level

Approved with minor edits at same level or resubmit at higher

level

Return for revisions at same level

Approved with minor/no edits

Avoid this…

52

Common Pitfalls and Challenges

Low impact Listing accomplishments as impacts Impacts do not match award level Use of jargon Use of acronyms Officer’s role unclear

Impact issuesJargon/acronymsUnclear role

53

Continuum of Acceptability for Special Activities

Mentorship

Conference planning

Commissioned Corps collateral duties (committee membership, etc)

Publication [in an of itself]

Yes

No 54

Strategy

Start Early

Draw

Track Share

CountList

A5 55

The process (Yes, it really takes that long)

56

Timeline for Awards Example

DecNovJan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct

Award appears in

OPF

OCCO Board Meets

CDC Board Meets

Nominations due to CDC

Board

Revisions

Final due to OCCO

Center/ Office Board

Review

57

Award Review Feedback Loops

OfficerAward

Rep

Center Awards Board

Agency Awards Board

2 3 41

58A6

Why do all of this?

A6 59

Why do all of this?

Recognition

Advancement

A6 60

?Contact info:

LCDR David Hunterdhunter@cdc.gov

404.639.7021

61

Appendix 1: Writing the narrative

62

Example Accomplishments

CDR Smith designed and conducted a longitudinal study of illness X among high-risk populations.

CAPT Ryan led a workgroup that developed treatment recommendations for children exposed to a water source containing high concentrations of chemical X.

LT Davis developed and conducted a process and outcome evaluation of intervention Y at community health centers.

63Back

#’s and %’s

Reviewed 20 project

proposalsConducted 6 site visits

Created 4 job aid tools

Conducted 10 webinar trainings

LCDR John Doe created a technical assistance program.assistance program for improving EOC activities at local health departments. LCDR Doe…

• 60 staff attended• 13 drills observed

• 6 recommendation reports written

• Distributed to 27 HDs

• Downloaded from web 241 times

• 112 participants• Recorded sessions accessed 73 times

• 17 recommendations made

Back 64

Making Impact Statements Great, cont.

Weak Impact: Dozens of immigrants received prompt medical care for

active, noninfectious TB as a result of screening their medical packets at the port of entry.

Strong Impact: The number of immigrants identified with TB and

referred for prompt medical care improved from 50 to 60 (20% increase) during the 6 months before and after the training.

Accomplishment: LCDR Doe conducted 10 trainings to improve the quality of medical packet reviews of arriving immigrants

65Back

Appendix 2: Formatting

66

Paragraphs vs. Bullets

Paragraphs tell a story through narration

Bullets create lists

Both are acceptable

Use paragraph with qualitative data and when context and explanation of events is critical

Use bullets for listing a series of accomplishments and for organizing numerous pieces of data

Acceptable to use in combination 67Back

Appendix 3: Award Levels

68

Individual Awards

PHS Citation

Achievement Medal

Commendation Medal

Outstanding Service

Medal

69Back

PHS Citation (CIT)

Citations recognize an Officer’s achievement of accomplishing a program/project objective

Reflects an “atta-boy” accomplishment

Usually a single achievement

Work spans a short timeframe

1 week to a few months

Scope is local or limited in affect

Achievement has low or limited impact70Back

PHS Citation Examples

Development and distribution of communications materials to increase awareness of animal importation restrictions

Crafting a database for a scientific study

Managing an unusual response action during on-call duty

Conducting an evaluation of a local, short-duration intervention

71Back

Achievement Medal (AM)

AM’s reflect sustained, above-average accomplishment or superior performance above that of the average officer

Timeframe is longer than a CIT 1-2 years

Scope is broader than a CIT in affect Officer must demonstrate leadership in

achieving the goals cited Can reflect a collection of smaller

accomplishments Requires demonstration of impact

Quantitative measures are important72Back

Achievement Medal Examples

Leading the response team to investigate and control an outbreak of E. Coli in Reno, NV

Expanding internal occupational health services for CDC laboratory staff

Exemplary performance in facilitating a number of epidemiologic investigations

Leading the Informatics Team in developing and implementing improved mobile systems for data collection

Development and implementation of a training

73Back

Commendation Medal (CM) CM’s reflect high quality achievements

Application of unique skill Noteworthy technical and professional contributions

that are significant to a limited area

Timeframe: generally 2 years or longer

Scope of work is generally regional or national (statewide in some cases)

Demonstration of substantial leadership

Requires demonstration of large-scale impact Quantitative measurements are crucial Often includes policy-level effects 74Back

Commendation Medal Examples

Improving national preparedness through formulating action plans and building stronger partnerships at U.S. airports

Developing and implementing plans for a national evaluation of infection control procedures in healthcare settings

For sustained leadership, steadfast dedication, and outstanding service in design and establishment of a national surveillance system

75Back

Outstanding Service Medal (OSM) OSM are awarded for continuous

outstanding leadership

Time frame: generally 2-4 years

Scope of work is national or international

Demonstration of exceptional leadership required

Requires national or international level impact Nearly always requires policy-related impact Quantitative measures of impact crucial Results in a measured reduction in mortality and

morbidity 76Back

Outstanding Service Medal Examples

Enhancing vaccine delivery through the development and release of CDC recommendations adopted by ACIP

Leading an interagency workgroup to establish a policy that leads to a structural intervention to reduce occupational exposure to infectious diseases among vulnerable populations in long term care facilities

Developing and implementing a national communicable disease prevention program in 10 African nations that is attributed with large scale reductions in morbidity and mortality

77Back

Higher Level Awards

Distinguished Service Medal

Meritorious Service Medal

Surgeon General’s Exemplary Service

Medal

78Back

• Non-officers may be included on UCs and OUCs• Non-officers must be recognized elsewhere also• Unit awards may be submitted with only 1 officer listed• Officers listed on unit awards may also be nominated for

individuals awards if their work significantly exceeded that of the group’s

Unit Awards

Unit Commendation

Outstanding Unit

Citation

79Back

Unit Commendation (UC)

Awards a team* for above average contributions to a programmatic goal

Timeframe varies from weeks to years

Impacts must be clearly measureable

80Back

*Team is defined as a collection of officers and non-officers that are working toward a common goal. It does not necessary connote the official designation of a team.

Unit Commendation Examples

Exceptional performance, leadership, and teamwork in a nationwide healthy living message campaign

Exemplary teamwork, dedication, and scientific excellence in their investigation of an outbreak of Hepatitis C at tattoo parlors

Exemplary collaborative performance to provide public health leadership and guidance of the Q Fever Treatment Program

Excellence in rapidly responding to an earthquake disaster in California

81Back

Outstanding Unit Citation (OUC) Awards a team* for exceptional

contributions to the mission of the agency

Timeframe varies from weeks to years

Impact must be measureable and demonstrate significant prevention of loss of life or property

*Team is defined as a collection of officers and non-officers that are working toward a common goal. It does not necessary connote the official designation of a team.

82Back

Outstanding Unit Citation Examples

Rapidly and effectively investigating and containing an outbreak of pneumonia and severe neurological disease caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Agency-wide response to H1N1 pandemic influenza

Establishing safety guidelines for a specific industry that results in significant reduction in on-the-job injuries and deaths

Investigating and controlling an interstate outbreak of food borne illness eliciting a large-scale food recall

83Back

Appendix 4: Forms

84

Individual Award Documents

6342-2 form (Rev. 9/11)

Award history print out from Direct Access

2-page narrative

85Back

Unit Award Documents

6342-1 form (Rev. 9/11)

Awards history print out from Direct Access for each officer included

2-page narrative

Attachment with non-officers listed

86Back

Completing the FormsCorrect Format Example

Dates MM/YYYY 03/2009-07/2010

Endorsement Names

Rank First Last, Title, Organization

CAPT Joan Walker, Director, DX

Award names Use abbreviations CIT, AM, OUC, etc.

Professional Category Leave off “Officer”

Health Services, Environmental Health, Medical, etc.

Cited for

• Maximum of 180 characters

• Should complete the sentence: Cited for…

• Omit officers’ name • Omit dates from this field

Expanding communicable disease surveillance capacity through new technology at 15 ports of entry

87Back

Walker, Terry

CM

O-4

06/2005

Medical Epidemiologist

Medical 99999

Enhancing preparedness plans to increase impact of program activities

CDC/OPHPR/DX/XB

12/2009 3/2012

CDR Brett Johnson, Team Lead 03/2012Brett Johnson

Theresa White , Chief, XB

CAPT Molly Quinn, Director, DX

Dr. Ali Khan, Director, OPHPR

12

5

3

6

7

EXAMPLE

8

4

Back

Division Director

Center Director

Additional Endorsements

Branch Chief

Additional Endorsements: Example

1

2

3

4Example

Back

Recognition of Civil Service Unit Award Contributors

Options for recognition

Nomination for Center, Office, or CDC

awards

Letter of Commendation for

personnel file

Nomination for external awards and

recognition

Time off or cash award 90Back

Appendix 5: Strategy

91

Strategy

Track

List

DrawActivit

yImpac

tActivit

yActivit

y

I did…1)______________ 2)______________ 3)______________

Keep detailed recordsMonitor actions and results

Back 92

Strategy, cont.

Count

StartEarly

Share

Allow plenty of timeAnticipate many revisions

Numbers carry weight

Get feedback

Back 93

Appendix 6: Process

94

Procedural Steps

• Officer:– Writes narrative– Completes form and attaches all documents– Gets supervisory approval– Submits to Awards Rep by deadline

• Awards Rep:– Reviews forms and narrative for clerical accuracy– Provides feedback, edits, recommendations, and

suggestions on narrative to officer– Submits to Center/Office Board for review– Votes as a member on the Center/Office Board

1

295Back

Procedural Steps, cont.

• Center/Office Board:– Reviews all award nominations– Determines disposition of all awards

nominations– Returns nominations to officer for revisions

and signatures Upon satisfactory revisions, submits awards to Agency Board

• Agency Board:– Reviews forms and narrative – Determines disposition of awards– Returns those for revisions – Sends high-level awards to OSG for final

review– Submits to OCCO for inclusion in OPF

3

496Back

Final Authority for Approval

Agency Approvals

PHS Citation Achievement Medal Commendation Medal Outstanding Service

Medal Unit Commendation

Office of the Surgeon General

Meritorious Service Medal

Distinguished Service Medal

Outstanding Unit Citation

Surgeon General’s Medallion

Surgeon General’s Exemplary Service Medal

97Back

Awards Contribute to an Officer’s Performance Precept

Small percentage of promotion score, but many times can be the determining factor for getting promoted

Expectation of achieving benchmarks based on promotion rank

Not a hard and fast ruleRank Award level

LCDR Achievement Medal

CDR Commendation Medal

CAPT Outstanding Service Medal

Individual and Unit Award equivalents

AM = UC

OSM = OUC

98Back

Appendix 7: Knowledge Checks

99

Completing the “Cited For” Section

LT Gerry Brown is nominated for outstanding management of programmatic resources.

outstanding management of programmatic resources from 12/2009 to 11/2011.

outstanding management of programmatic resources.

Which of the following is correct?

1

2

3100

Quiz #1

Awards

___ Crisis Response Service Award

___ Outstanding Unit Citation

___ Commendation Medal

___ Foreign Duty

___ Unit Commendation

___ Training Ribbon

___ Isolated Duty

___Outstanding Service Medal

Ribbons

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

H.

FHCEDA

G

B101

Quiz #2: Checking PHS 6342-2

Instructions:

Review the form on the next slide.

What errors on this form can you see?

How would you correct those errors?

102

Victoria Stone

Outstanding Service Medal

0-5

06/1998

Team Lead

Environmental Health Officer

Enhancing inventory shelf-life and effective processes for resource management

CDC/OPHPR/DX/XB

01/2006 08/2010

CAPT Chris Gregory, Chief, XB 02/2012Chris Gregory

Dr. Florence Ritter, Director, DX

Dr. Ali Khan, Director, OPHPR

EXAMPLE

1

5

4

2 3

1. How long does an officer have to submit an award after the last activity to be included has been concluded?

2. What are the four sections to be included in an award narrative?

3. When is it inappropriate to nominate another officer for an award?

4. What are three key tips for writing a good narrative?

5. What are the four principal factors that determine the appropriate level of an award?

Quiz #3

104

Quiz #4: True or False

These awards are listed from highest to lowest:

OSM, CM, AM, CIT

Civil Service employees can be included on unit awards.

It is not possible to receive a unit award and an individual award for the same activity

The nominator may also be in the supervisory chain and can endorse a nomination.

Great narratives demonstrate leadership of activities leading to measurable impacts to improve public health

TRUE FALSE

T F

T F

T F

T F

T F

105