The Public Health Service (PHS) Achievement Medal ranks fifth in precedence of the six Individual Honor Awards awarded to officers of the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service, below the Commendation Medal and above the PHS Citation. It is rewarded to those officers who have displayed superior efforts in accomplishing a program’s mission or who have achieved exceptional mission outcomes.
Examples of the types of performance that would warrant the Achievement Medal include a sustained display of above-average accomplishment, noteworthy advancement of a program’s goals and objectives, or intensive dedication to duty over a relatively short time period.
The obverse of the medal features a shield superimposed over a fouled anchor and the Staff of Asclepius (asklepian) diagonally crossed, all surmounted by an eagle. This design is similar to the seal of the Public Health Service, which uses a caduceus in place of the asklepian for the seal and does not feature an eagle. The seal was created by John Maynard Woodworth, who was named the first Supervising Surgeon of the Marine Hospital Service (the fouled anchor represents the seamen treated by the service). That position later became the Surgeon General of the United States, who serves as the commander of the USPHS Commissioned Corps.