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5 Job Responsibilities of the Surgeon General

If you’re like most people you’ve probably heard of the Surgeon General. Also like most people, you probably don’t know exactly what this person does or what this person’s responsibilities are. The following list represents the 5 most important responsibilities of this position; providing you with an in-depth look into the life of a Surgeon General.

1. Communicate Health Care and Health Care Needs to the People

In a way, the person in this position becomes the spokesperson for public health. Known as the “nation’s doctor”, Surgeons General offer advice to the American people as a whole on issues like smoking, obesity, and many other public health issues. Surgeons General communicate through a wide variety of ways, like news conferences, speeches, formal reports, and congressional testimony. The person in this job must effectively communicate public health issues to the people in a way that they can easily understand. This communicative responsibility may be the most important of the list.

2. Oversee the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service

Surgeons General oversee the USPHS, or the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The USPHS Commissioned Corps is “an elite group of more than 6,700 uniformed officer public health professionals working throughout the federal government whose mission is to protect, promote, and advance the health of our nation.” These workers may be assigned to many different government agencies, like the National Institutes of Health. While Surgeons General duties over the USPHS may be limited, they do set the standards for the corps and serve as its leader.

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3. Represent the Federal Government on Many Boards and Commissions

As the spokesperson for public health, Surgeons General are responsible for sitting on many boards and commissions. They sit along the foremost national and global experts at places like the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization, and the National Library of Medicine. It is alongside these organizations that they craft public health initiatives, like the most well-known 1964 Smoking and Health report that first told the public that smoking causes lung cancer.

4. Face a Public Health Emergency

In the event of a public health emergency, the American people turn to its Surgeons General. They work alongside various departments, making reports using scientific data, and creating plans of action for the people. They issue alerts, give advice, bring different organizations together to make the best course of action, and then follow through with the plan. When the outbreak of AIDS became prevalent in the 80s, for example, the person in that position during the time issued the public information regarding AIDS, and gave timely advice for treatment, testing, and prevention.

5. Issue Awards and Decorations

Surgeons General are the ultimate award authority for many public health awards and decorations. The highest decoration that can be given by this position is the Surgeon General’s Medallion, which is given for actions of exceptional achievement to the cause of public health and medicine. While that award is the highest decoration that can be given by Surgeons General, the USPHS Commissioned Corps also issues an award (led by Surgeons General) call the Public Health Service Distinguished Service Medal. This award is given by both Surgeons General and the USPHS Commissioned Corps.

Jobs and responsibilities are many for the Surgeons General that have held the office in the U.S. Simply put, they are responsible for the public health system in this country and are an integral part of the country’s function. This in-depth guide to the responsibilities of the Surgeon General has hopefully given you a better understanding of the tasks required of the position.