Why does the surgeon general wear a uniform? Is he technically in the navy? Here’s what you need to know about the U.S. Surgeon General.
Over the past few years, we’ve all seeing a lot extra of the surgeon general than we used to, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Vice Admiral Vivek Murthy is the current Surgeon General of the United States, having been appointed in March of 2021. You've probably observed him at a selection of briefings, and the Surgeon General is a very public-facing place. You’ve most probably also noticed his uniform, and possibly you’ve found your self questioning: Why does the surgeon general wear a uniform? Read on for more info.
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Why does the surgeon general wear a uniform and what does it characterize?
In order to understand why the surgeon general wears a uniform, let’s first quilt what a surgeon general in fact is. The U.S. Surgeon General is the operational head of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC). The Commissioned Corps is dedicated to the protection, promotion, and advancement of well being and safety of the general public. They are also a uniformed carrier, which is why everybody who is a a part of the Corps wears a uniform.
The surgeon general uniform is going all the as far back as 1871, when a guy named John Maynard Woodworth first arranged the Public Health Service (PHS) along military lines. Woodworth used to be the U.S.’s first supervising surgeon (a rank that is now known as the surgeon general).
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Members of the PHS are given military-style commissions and naval-style ranks and so they wear uniforms to mirror those titles. The idea is that the PHS is a cell power in a position to be on the frontlines of no matter health crisis might get up. As the particular person at its head, the surgeon general gets a uniform.
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There are actually a number of other surgeon general uniforms that can be worn: Service Dress Blues, Summer Whites, Service Khakis, and Operational Dress Uniform (ODU) Woodland Camouflage. According to the PHSCC website, “uniforms advertise the visibility and credibility of the Commissioned Corps to the general public and the Nation’s underserved populations whom officers are dedicated to serving.”
Does the surgeon general need to be a surgeon?
The U.S. Surgeon General does now not need to specifically be a surgeon, however according to U.S. law, they must “have specialised coaching or important revel in in public health techniques” prior to being appointed. They will have to additionally already be participants of the Regular Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service prior to their appointment. Once a surgeon general is appointed, they hold the rank of vice admiral.
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What does the U.S. Surgeon General in fact do?
The surgeon general is known colloquially as “the Nation’s Doctor.” The surgeon general has many casual duties, including educating the American public about health problems and advocating healthy way of life possible choices. They additionally sometimes issue public well being warnings — you’ve most probably observed the Surgeon General Warning on packets of cigarettes or alcoholic beverage labels earlier than.
And, after all, in the event of a public well being emergency, the U.S. Surgeon General makes use of their standing as head of the Commissioned Corps to position plans in motion. The Corps is on-call 24 hours a day and able to be dispatched as important.
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