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Lt. Cmdr. Annette Debisette (left), DNSc, ANP, RN, and Capt. Kerry Nesseler, MS, RN, are two of the more than 1,200 nurses who serve in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, working under the direction of the U.S. Surgeon General. Among other things, corps nurses help conduct research, design disease prevention programs and provide health care resources and access to underserved communities both in the United States and abroad.

The man sat on the exam table exhausted from his long trek across the Mexican border. Shortly after crossing into California, he and his family were detained by immigration officials and taken to the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Los Angeles Medical Staging Facility.

Lt. Stephen Gonsalves, MPH, MSN, FNP, greeted the man in Spanish and immediately put him at ease. During his examination, Gonsalves discovered the man suffered from hypertension and diabetes.

“Many of our patients suffer from medical conditions that haven’t been diagnosed or have been grossly undertreated,” said Gonsalves, who gave the man prescriptions for his ailments.

After talking with the patient about self-care strategies for his conditions, the man’s eyes filled with tears as he thanked Gonsalves. The man said this was the first time in his life he had received medical care.

Gonsalves is one of the more than 1,200 nurses who serve in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, working under the direction of the U.S. Surgeon General. Although the corps has been in existence for more than 90 years, many nurses remain unaware of the career opportunities it offers.

One of the seven uniformed services in the United States, commissioned nurses wear uniforms similar to their Navy counterparts, and serve as officers in local, state, federal and international health agencies in a variety of capacities. They help conduct research, design disease prevention programs and provide health care resources and access to underserved communities both in the United States and abroad.

A member of the corps for the past four years, Gonsalves is a health service administrator at the Division of Immigration Health Services. He and his staff provide routine medical care and screening services to a steady stream of undocumented immigrants.

“We screen for TB and other infectious diseases, both to protect the detainees and to ensure the greater health of the United States,” said Gonsalves, who first learned about nursing jobs in the corps while earning his master’s degree in public health at the University of Hawaii.

“The corps provides nurses with unlimited opportunities for advancement and professional development,” Gonsalves said. “Through my work in the corps, I’ve been able to make a clinical impact on both the local and international level.”

In addition to his work in immigration services, Gonsalves also serves on the Commissioned Corps Readiness Force. Team members are deployed to provide medical assistance during national and international disasters. After Sept. 11, Gonsalves worked for several weeks in a medical clinic several blocks from Ground Zero in New York. There, he treated rescue workers who had sustained a variety of injuries sifting through the debris of the World Trade Center.

“There is no typical day in the corps. Every day brings a new experience,” Gonsalves said.

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