Behavioral health officers in the Commissioned Corps have the flexibility and freedom to pursue a diverse and fulfilling career. Day-to-day responsibilities of behavioral health officers may include:

• Providing direct behavioral health and substance abuse treatment services
• Managing behavioral health programs for entire communities
• Carrying out Federal public health missions
• Conducting behavioral health research and pharmacological regulation
• Enhancing the well-being of our country’s wounded warriors and empowering them as they reintegrate into civilian life

In addition, behavioral health officers may have the opportunity to assist in public health responses to man-made and natural disasters and participate in rural health missions helping some of the neediest populations in the Nation.

Behavioral health officers in the Commissioned Corps are detailed to military medical treatment facilities across the United States to treat service members who are returning from overseas deployment, as well as retirees and family members. Officers are serving with the Army, Air Force, and Navy.

As a behavioral officer in the Commissioned Corps, you can work throughout the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and in other Federal agencies and programs. Below is a list of potential Federal agencies and programs where behavioral health officers have the greatest likelihood of finding an assignment – the order is based on the number of officers presently assigned. See duty station map for more details.

• Department of Defense (DoD)
• Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
• Indian Health Service (IHS)
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS)