We Need HPSP Interviewers – LCDR(s) or Above

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Navy Recruiting Command is in search of Health Profession Scholarship Program (HPSP) Interviewers to conduct Officer Appraisal Interviews. If you are a LCDR(s) or above Medical Corps Officer in good standing and willing to do these interviews, please email the Medical Corps HPSP Recruiting Manager, ENS Thealia Thompson, at thealia.a.thompson2 < at > navy.mil. Please include your geographic location and command as well.

Often, the interviewers are the only Navy physicians that these candidates interact with during the entire recruitment process, so they can have an outsized impact in terms of getting candidates excited about Navy Medicine (and help us accurately assess a candidate’s potential for successful Naval service).

This entry was posted in HPSP, Recruiting, Uncategorized and tagged , .

January Message from the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs

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MHS Team:

Happy New Year! I hope you had a restful holiday season and are back in the
swing of things. I fully expect that – like 2019 – 2020 will be a jam-packed
year for the MHS.

That starts, of course, with making progress on the reform efforts that
formed so much of our work in 2019. First is the consolidation of management
of Military Treatment Facilities. The Defense Health Agency is working with
all other elements of the system to stand up its headquarters and the market
construct that we will use to administer the MTFs under DHA. And we got an
assist from Congress, which as part of the National Defense Authorization
Act passed in December, included provisions that allow us the flexibility we
need to shift key civilian personnel in MTF management from the military
departments to DHA. We expect the first Transfer of Function-related
personnel moves to start in early February.

Second is the reexamination of our facilities footprint, a review directed
in Sec. 703 of the FY17 NDAA that asks the Department to assess MTFs to
determine if there are opportunities to resize any facilities that do not
offer a platform for maximizing ready medical capabilities. We expect that
our report outlining these plans will go to Congress within the next few
weeks, and we are prioritizing clear communications with key audiences –
especially patients and staff – to help all understand any changes and their
impact.

Third is our work to support the Military Departments’ implementation
efforts tied to their proposed repurposing of military medical billets.
Planning to implement these reductions while ensuring we meet our
obligations to patients and operational forces continued through 2019. In
that NDAA passed in December, Congress established new requirements that the
Military Departments and the Department of Defense must fulfill before
implementing these reductions, and Health Affairs, DHA and the Services are
working together to comply with this direction from Congress.

Congress included other important provisions in the NDAA with implications
for the MHS. You have probably already heard about the provision that
authorizes a new process for service members who want to file medical
malpractice claims. Health Affairs will work with the Military Departments
and DHA to develop the rules and procedures for such a process.

Related to our focus on readiness, at last month’s annual AMSUS conference I
announced that the Joint Staff Surgeon and Health Affairs had been tasked to
develop a Strategic Framework for Operational Medicine. This framework,
being developed with the Surgeons General, DHA, and the Uniformed Services
University, will provide a common goal for synchronizing DHA’s role in
health delivery with the Military Departments’ readiness and training
requirements. The goal is to better integrate the tremendous work happening
across the MHS to build and sustain the skills we need to support
operational requirements. This work gets to the heart of our system’s reason
for being and will be a focus throughout the year.

One constant in Health Affairs the last four years has been Dr. Terry
Adirim. Terry has helped the MHS navigate a host of challenging clinical,
policy, and organizational issues. For me personally, on every important
issue we’ve dealt with, she has provided invaluable counsel and support.
Terry is leaving us to take a position at the Florida Atlantic University
College of Medicine. FAU is immensely fortunate to have a physician of
Terry’s experience, skill, and dedication helping to shape the next
generation of medical professionals. The MHS’s loss is FAU’s gain. Please
join me in thanking Terry for her many contributions to our military medical
enterprise.

Tom

This entry was posted in ASDHA, Uncategorized and tagged .

Global Health Specialist Course Opportunity

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There is an International Health Specialist Orientation Course that will be offered 27 APR-1 MAY. The location is the National Capital Region and funding is planned to be by the BUMED Office of Global Health Engagement (GHEO) to support Navy Personnel as noted in this document and below. Priority will be given to officers who hold the Global Health Specialist Additional Qualification Designation (68M), are currently under orders for a GHE billet or are selected for duty assignment under a GHE billet.

If you are interested in attending, please contact the Navy Medicine Office of Global Health Engagement at usn.ncr.bumedfchva.mbx.ghe-office < at > mail.mil. Please note there is a prerequisite that needs to be completed as noted below.

This course will be added to the FY21 Leadership Course Catalog (should be out in the SEP timeframe) so there will be future iterations of the course occurring twice per year per current plans.

Course information copied from the attached announcement is below:

Course Description: The course provides training in critical concepts of global health engagement and health security cooperation to increase the resiliency and readiness of our Navy Medicine personnel, support the Fleet and line operations, and build sustainable relationships with partner nations. The course will provide an advanced, comprehensive understanding of core global health engagement competencies among Navy global health engagement professionals.

Target Audience: Course seats are available for all officers in the Navy Medical Department Corps: Dental, Medical, Medical Service and Nursing Corps staffing a billet in CONUS or a GHE billet OCONUS. Priority will be given to officers who hold the Global Health Specialist Additional Qualification Designation (68M), are currently under orders for a GHE billet or are selected for duty assignment under a GHE billet.

Funding: Funding will be provided by the BUMED Office of Global Health Engagement (GHEO) to support Navy Personnel.

Process: For more information, please contact the Navy Medicine Office of Global Health Engagement at usn.ncr.bumedfchva.mbx.ghe-office < at >mail.mil.

Pre-Requisites: Participants must complete one of the following trainings prior to the first day of the course.

– Security Cooperation Management Orientation Online Course (SCM-OC-OL):

https://www.discs.dsca.mil/_pages/courses/online/scm-oc-ol.aspx?section=syl

– Security Cooperation Management Familiarization Course (SCM-FA-OL):

https://www.discs.dsca.mil/_pages/courses/online/scm-fa-ol.aspx?section=syl

This entry was posted in Education, Global Health Engagement, Uncategorized and tagged , .

NCC Vascular Surgery Program Director

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They are looking for a Program Director to report in July 2020.  Applicants should submit their packages (CV, Bio, Letter of Intent) to CDR Melissa Austin (contact in global) NLT Friday, 7 Feb.  PERS concurrence for the PCS move should be provided with the application materials (usually an e-mail from the Detailer).

Here are the relevant documents:

ACGME requirements for Vascular Surgery (Integrated) PD qualifications

Ref #1 DoD Criteria for selection of GME Program Directors

SG Announcement for NCC Program Director Search for Vascular Surgery Fel…

This entry was posted in GME, Uncategorized and tagged .

Free Tax Software and Finance Friday Articles

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Here’s a blurb about the free military tax software:

MilTax Preparation and e-Filing Software will be available starting Jan. 22 through mid-October. Powered by an industry-leading tax service provider, it’s designed to address situations specific to the military. This easy-to-use, self-paced tax software walks you through a series of questions to help you complete and electronically file your federal return and up to three state tax forms. Calculations are 100 percent accurate – guaranteed by the software provider.

Here is the link to begin preparations:

https://www.militaryonesource.mil/financial-legal/tax-resource-center/miltax-military-tax-services

Here’s an article for military members:

12 Tax Tips Made for Military Life

 

Here are my favorites this week:

Helping Your Children Along

Investing Basics for Physicians With Little Time or Experience

The Case for Global Investing

 

Here are the rest of this week’s articles:

2018 vs. 2019 in the Stock Market

7 Paradoxes in Investment Decision Making

12 Financial Sins

Asset Allocation Quilt Redux

Can I Change the Beneficiary of My 529 Plan/Account?

Do Bonds Belong in Your Portfolio?

How to Pay Off Medical School Loans In Less Than 2 Years

Life Goes By Quick: Money Thoughts From A Boomer Retiree With Cancer

Why We Try to Beat the Market

Why You Should Have A Separate 529 Plan For Each Child

Will More Money Make Me Happier?

This entry was posted in personal finance, Uncategorized and tagged .

Throwback Thursday Classic Post – Networking and Mentoring for Military Women in the Digital Age

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Guest Post!

Today, we are going to hear from a CAPT Schofer of a different variety: the wife.

CAPT Wendy Schofer is a Navy Reserve pediatrician. She is the glue keeping the Schofer Family together through my demanding schedule, teens needing regular feeding/watering/supervision, and having her own part-time clinical job, nonprofit volunteer work, and a new interest in Lifestyle Medicine. A personal interest of hers is keeping lines of communication open and mentoring personnel through transitions (of which she has had several).

——

Great to be here. It’s about time the Other CAPT Schofer shared the fun.

I would like to address a couple of forums that have popped up online for females in the military. Yes, Facebook pages. There are a number of private or closed pages available to military women on Facebook. There are pros and cons to weigh for any social media pages:

***Before you sign up for any page on Facebook, be mindful of its privacy settings, as well as your own profile’s privacy settings. There is training on this – use that annual training guidance to ensure that you are not spilling personal nor governmental information inadvertently.

1) Pros according to Schofer:

  • Vetting: a number of these private/closed pages have you complete a questionnaire when you request to join, indicating service branch, where stationed, if know someone already in the group. There are also occasional requests from admin to help identify who truly meets the criteria to validly join the group.
  • Relatively safe haven: I have posted (and seen) questions that some might not ask elsewhere. It’s easier to ask when not face-to-face (see cons)
  • Broad audience/subscribers — you can get input from women beyond your immediate chain-of-command
  • If some guidance is questionable, it will often be addressed by someone else/clarified
  • Celebration of military women (we need to do this more)
  • Wealth of topics: dual-mil, pay, retirement, mentoring, protocol, hot topics, family leave policy, transgender policy/transitions, car transport, PCS, pet transport, looking for general mentorship, leadership approaches, uniform guidance, BRS, life after military, transitions to/from Reserves…
  • I love how professional my colleagues are: they are quite measured in their responses and often quote the MILPERSMAN

2) Cons according to Schofer:

  • It’s Facebook, still need to be mindful of OPSEC
  • It’s Facebook: social media can still call folks out online, or you may post something that you regret – also screenshots/forwarding can occur from people WITHIN your group – so nothing is truly private.
  • I am clearly only addressing the females in this audience. No males are allowed on these forums. It’s not meant to be exclusionary, but to support the safe haven noted above (how many men REALLY want to know the nitty-gritty about which bras to wear for pumping while in uniform?).
  • Take everything with a grain of salt. Just because someone has seen it/made it worked, doesn’t mean that it applies in your command.

Pages I have experience with, and others to consider:

There are other pages with broader appeal, such as Spouse Clubs, NOSC (for Reserve personnel) and local/regional unit supports. Examples local to Norfolk would be the The Oakleaf Club of Tidewater, Hampton Roads NOSC, Chesapeake Military Moms and Spouses Meetup Group.

These are not just for women, and tend to cover more family/childcare questions. But they highlight that there are a ton of resources available to families, whether established at a location, PCSing in, needing childcare suggestions or moral support. We are finding more and more moral support electronically – let’s use that for good. It has been immensely helpful in my Reserve transitions.

Thanks for joining me here. And please, keep it safe on social media, including realizing when to just turn it off and join the real world.

This entry was posted in Mentorship, Social Media and tagged , .

AMSUS Seminar – Prolonged Field Care: What Technology is Needed?

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This full-day AMSUS regional seminar, 3 March 2020, at the Kossiakoff Center at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, MD, features speakers from the MRDC Combat Casualty Care Research team, other Prolonged Field Care (PFC) leaders, JHU Applied Physics Lab, and other experts in PFC science & technology. These subject matter experts will highlight current and future science & technology needs relevant to PFC, and discuss current best PFC practices and areas of innovation to address gaps.

Early registration rate good until 31 January 2020: AMSUS member rate $75; non-member rate $100. Register today!

This entry was posted in Readiness, Uncategorized and tagged .