Putting Pen to Paper:
Writing Commissioned Corps Awards
LCDR David Hunter
Commissioned Corps Liaison
Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
11-20-13 slides with appendix and resources
1
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
2 pages
1” Margins
12 point font
Times New Roman
6
Four Sections to the Narrative
Introduction
Accomplishments
Impacts
Conclusion
7
Defining “Accomplishment”
Answers the question:
What did the officer do?
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:
Led
Directed
Coordinated
Wrote
Planned
Implemented
Performed
Provided
Established
Facilitated
Delivered
Designed
10
Example Accomplishment
LCDR John Doe created a technical
assistance program.
A1
11
#s and %s
For who?
LCDR John Doe created a technical
assistance program for improving
emergency operations activities at
local health departments.
What activities did
this include?
How many
activities?
How many
people
attended?
How did he
demonstrate
leadership?
A1
What other pieces
of this project can
be counted?
12
#s and %s
Conducted 10 webinar trainings
Conducted 6 site visits
LCDR Doe...
Created 4 job aid tools
Developed 3 action plans
Reviewed 20 project proposals
13
#s and %s
Conducted 10 webinar trainings
•112 participants
•Recorded sessions
accessed 73 times
LCDR Doe...
14
#s and %s
Conducted 6 site visits
LCDR Doe...
• 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?
17
Actions and Effects
LCDR John Doe
implements a
technical
assistance
program
A Health Department
Emergency Operations
Center functions better.
18
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
As a result of this technical assistance
program, local health departments are
able to better operate their Emergency
Operations Centers.
Faster?
How do they
operate better?
Cheaper?
More effective?
21
#’s and %’s
Faster!
Cheaper!
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.
More effective!
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.
A1
Poor
Health department staff completed the training course.
Good
Between the pre- and post-tests, knowledge
increased among the 100 staff from the health
department by 25%.
Great
75% of staff (n=100) performed the
training skill correctly, increasing
production of deliverables by 30%
during the first quarter.
24
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
A2
27
Relating Impacts to Accomplishments
Accomplishments
Impacts
1
A
2
B
3
C
1
A
2
B
3
C
Basic or
Sequential
Format
Basic
Format
1
2
3
A
Basic
Format
28
Putting it All Together
• “Chunk” text
• Use headers
• Do not justify
• Group ‘like’ activities
• Choose logical order
•
•
•
•
Concise
Plain language
Jargon-free
Short
29
Building Your Introduction: Cited For…
“Cited for”
section
Rank, Name, PHS number, and award
nomination centered at top
30
Leading with a Clear Opening Statement
A
LCDR John Doe is nominated for the ____________ for ______
___________________________ from [mm/yyyy] to [mm/yyyy].
B
High-level description of the
work and impacts achieved
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
Level of
Achievement
Scope of
impact
A3
Leadership
Award
Level
Length of
Time
33
Minimize Background Section
Snapshot of landscape
Describe the
problem
Set the
stage
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?
GO
• Activities completed
• Impacts visible
• Natural break point
• Timeframe expiring
• Up for promotion
HOLD
• Additional activities
up coming
• Can cluster with
related activities
• Not urgent for
promotion
37
Clustering Projects into a Common Theme
Project A
Project B
Project D
Project C
Project E
Project F
Time
38
Nominations Can Expire
 13 months from the final activity
 Nominator must sign the 6342 form within timeframe
Outbreak
response
for illness X
9/2011
Protocol for
illness X
revised
END
1/2012
10/2011
2/2013
39
Package it up
(the easy stuff)
40
The Complete Packet
1. Forms
2. Narrative
3. Award History
4. Unit award attachments
A4
41
Note: blue font just
for presentation
visibility purposes
Earthquake Preparedness Response Team
1
02/2011
OUC
02/2012
2
Outstanding response efforts in the wake of a 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Reno, Nevada
3
4
CAPT Jake Sully
LT Brenda Smith
Renee Brown
99999
00000
CDC/OPHPR/DX/XB
CDC/OPHPR/DX/XB
CDR Renee Brown, Associate Director, OPHPR
03.2012
5
Ann Walker, Chief, XB
A4
CAPT Joe Smith, Director, DX
Dr. Ali Khan, Director, OPHPR
42
“Cited For”
Excise the “cited for” section word for word from the narrative
and insert into the 6342 form.
“Cited for”
section
123 characters
43
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
Example:
Officer Jones works in
his Division OD office;
therefore, only division
and center signatures
would be required
 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
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
CM
CM
CM
4/8/12
4/8/12
4/11/12
47
Endorsement Challenges
 PHS 6342 forms have room for 3 endorsements
 Additional endorsements go in the comments section
1
2
3
4
A4
48
Recognition of Non-Officers on
Unit Awards
 Non-officers must be
recognized elsewhere
 Usually done via CDC
awards nominations
A4
Lots of red ink
(Minimizing revisions)
50
Interpreting Comments from the Board
Approved with minor/no edits
Return for revisions at same level
Approved with minor edits at same
level or resubmit at higher level
Approved with minor edits at lower level
or revise and resubmit at same level
Return and resubmit at lower level
Return and resubmit next cycle
Rejected
51
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 issues
Jargon/acronyms
Unclear role
53
Continuum of Acceptability for Special
Activities
Yes
Commissioned Corps collateral duties
(committee membership, etc)
Mentorship
Conference planning
No
Publication [in an of itself]
54
Strategy
Start
Early
Track
Share
List
Count
Draw
A5
55
The process
(Yes, it really takes that long)
56
Timeline for Awards Example
Nominations due
to CDC Board
Final due
to OCCO
Award appears
in OPF
CDC Board
Meets
Revisions
Center/ Office
Board Review
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May June
July
OCCO
Board
Meets
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
57
Award Review Feedback Loops
1
Officer
A6
3
2
Award
Rep
Center
Awards
Board
4
Agency
Awards
Board
58
Why do all of this?
A6
59
Why do all of this?
Advancement
Recognition
A6
60
?
Contact info:
LCDR David Hunter
dhunter@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.
Back
63
#’s and %’s
LCDR John Doe created a
technical assistance program.
assistance program for improving
EOC activities at local health
departments. LCDR Doe…
Reviewed 20
project proposals
• 17 recommendations
made
Back
Conducted
6 site visits
• 60 staff attended
• 13 drills observed
• 6 recommendation
reports written
Conducted 10
webinar trainings
• 112 participants
• Recorded sessions
accessed 73 times
Created 4 job
aid tools
• Distributed to 27 HDs
• Downloaded from web
241 times
64
Making Impact Statements Great, cont.
Accomplishment: LCDR Doe conducted 10 trainings
to improve the quality of medical packet reviews of
arriving immigrants
 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:
Back
 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.
65
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
Back
67
Appendix 3: Award Levels
68
Individual Awards
PHS Citation
Achievement Medal
Commendation Medal
Outstanding Service Medal
Back
69
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 impact
Back
70
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
Back
71
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 important
Back
72
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
Back
73
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


Back
Quantitative measurements are crucial
Often includes policy-level effects
74
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
Back
75
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
Back
76
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
Back reductions in morbidity and mortality
77
Higher Level Awards
Distinguished Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Surgeon General’s Exemplary
Service Medal
Back
78
Unit Awards
Unit Commendation
Outstanding Unit Citation
•
•
•
•
Back
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
79
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
*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.
Back
80
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
Back
81
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.
Back
82
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
Back
83
Appendix 4: Forms
84
Individual Award Documents
 6342-2 form (Rev. 9/11)
 Award history print out
from Direct Access
 2-page narrative
Back
85
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 nonofficers listed
Back
86
Completing the Forms
Dates
Correct Format
Example
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.
• 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
Cited for
Back
87
Walker, Terry
O-4
1
CDC/OPHPR/DX/XB
Medical
4
2
06/2005
3
99999
Medical Epidemiologist
12/2009
CM
3/2012
5
6
Enhancing preparedness plans to increase impact of program activities
7
Brett Johnson
8
CDR Brett Johnson, Team Lead
Theresa White , Chief, XB
CAPT Molly Quinn, Director, DX
Dr. Ali Khan, Director, OPHPR
Back
03/2012
Additional Endorsements: Example
1
Branch Chief
2
Division Director
3
Center Director
4
Additional Endorsements
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
Back
Time off or cash award
90
Appendix 5: Strategy
91
Strategy
Track
List
Keep detailed records
Monitor actions and results
I did…1)______________
2)______________
3)______________
Activity
Draw
Back
Activity
Activity
Impact
92
Strategy, cont.
Back
Count
Numbers carry weight
Start
Early
Allow plenty of time
Anticipate many revisions
Share
Get feedback
93
Appendix 6: Process
94
Procedural Steps
• Officer:
1
–
–
–
–
Writes narrative
Completes form and attaches all documents
Gets supervisory approval
Submits to Awards Rep by deadline
• Awards Rep:
2
Back
– 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
95
Procedural Steps, cont.
• Center/Office Board:
3
– 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:
4
Back
–
–
–
–
–
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
96
Final Authority for Approval
Agency Approvals




PHS Citation
Achievement Medal
Commendation Medal
Outstanding Service
Medal
 Unit Commendation
Back
Office of the Surgeon
General
 Meritorious Service
Medal
 Distinguished Service
Medal
 Outstanding Unit Citation
 Surgeon General’s
Medallion
 Surgeon General’s
Exemplary Service Medal
97
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 rule
Back
Rank
Award level
LCDR
Achievement Medal
CDR
Commendation Medal
CAPT
Outstanding Service Medal
Individual and Unit
Award equivalents
AM
=
UC
OSM
=
OUC
98
Appendix 7: Knowledge Checks
99
Completing the “Cited For” Section
Which of the following is correct?
1
LT Gerry Brown is nominated for outstanding
management of programmatic resources.
2 outstanding management of programmatic resources
from 12/2009 to 11/2011.
3 outstanding management of programmatic resources.
100
Quiz #1
Awards
G Crisis Response Service Award
___
Ribbons
A.
F Outstanding Unit Citation
___
B.
H Commendation Medal
___
C.
C Foreign Duty
___
D.
E Unit Commendation
___
E.
D Training Ribbon
___
F.
A Isolated Duty
___
G.
B
___Outstanding
Service Medal
H.
101
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
1
Victoria Stone
0-5
4
3
2
06/1998
Environmental Health Officer
CDC/OPHPR/DX/XB
Team Lead
01/2006
Outstanding Service Medal
08/2010
Enhancing inventory shelf-life and effective processes for resource management
Chris Gregory
CAPT Chris Gregory, Chief, XB
5
Dr. Florence Ritter, Director, DX
Dr. Ali Khan, Director, OPHPR
02/2012
Quiz #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?
104
Quiz #4: True or False
TRUE FALSE
These awards are listed from highest to lowest:
OSM, CM, AM, CIT
T
F
It is not possible to receive a unit award and an
individual award for the same activity
T
F
The nominator may also be in the supervisory chain
and can endorse a nomination.
T
F
Civil Service employees can be included on unit
awards.
T
F
Great narratives demonstrate leadership of
activities leading to measurable impacts to improve
public health
T
F
105