Author: Joel Schofer, MD, MBA, CPE
FY22 O4 and O5 Promotion Opportunities
Here are the O4 promotion opportunities:
Here are the O5 opportunities:
Here are the convening orders where I got these:
Basic Readiness Officer Course (Artist Formerly Known as BMDOC) Still Not Available
Here is an update on BROC, a course that used to be called the Basic Medical Department Officer Course:
After several meetings and recent updates, regrettably BROC (formerly BMDOC) is still under revision/development. After fully updating the content just into the early COVID constraints, DoD departed from using flash media– which caused further delay due to also having to convert the entire course from flash media to Articulate software and rerouting to Navy eLearning for another review prior to release.
BROC is of course still waived as a pre-req for attending AROC or any other courses at this time.
We are hoping to have BROC up NLT end FY 21 4th Quarter (October 1).
Continuous MC Symposium – Dr. Dale Smith’s Last Lecture Before Retirement – Q&A Session Tomorrow!
Watch the video of Dr. Smith’s recorded lecture on the History of the Medical Corps here:
Join us for the Live Q&A Session with Dr. Smith tomorrow, May 5, 1200 EDT:
FY22 Milestone Opportunities List
Here are the FY22 milestone opportunities:
The application process was discussed in this post.
SG’s Message – Spring Cleaning
Esteemed Shipmates,
As I pause from composing this message and look out my window here at BUMED headquarters I’m pleased to see that spring has finally arrived. Spring fever means something much different this year than last. A year ago it meant the clinical manifestation of a virus we were only beginning to understand. Twelve months later spring fever reflects our impatience to enjoy the blessings of the natural world without the precaution of having to wear a mask or stay at least six feet away from our friends and families. That we are emerging from this pandemic is a reflection of the hard work done by everyone on the One Navy Medicine team, several examples of which I have shared with you in prior messages. Our initial efforts to get testing to the field have been matched by a full court press to get vaccine in arms and you have responded. Whether it is supporting local immunization efforts at your MTF or on your installation or participating as a member of a Community Vaccination Team in support of FEMA and the states, you have answered the call. Bottom line, while we are still fully engaged in defeating this viral adversary, we can pause, do some mental “spring cleaning” to reset our expectations and look forward to the promise of the future once again.
One way that the One Navy Medicine team can accelerate this return to normalcy for ourselves and our communities is to maximally leverage the most important weapon we have in this fight: COVID-19 vaccines. In my discussions with those who remain reluctant to take the vaccine the two keys concerns are the perception that the vaccines were developed too quickly and that they would lead to serious side effects. In fact, the rapid fielding of the vaccines represents a triumph of medical technology and genomics years in the making and they have proven themselves extremely safe. There is no better protection for an individual, a family or the community than the immunity produced by the COVID-19 vaccination.
As we have learned over the past year, there is tremendous power in listening. By suspending judgement and putting our biases aside we deepen our understanding and acceptance of difference. This is essential to the development of mutual respect and trust. The issue of whether to receive the COVID-19 vaccination is an opportunity to exercise this skill. If you remain hesitant to receive it, listening to the evidence about the vaccine and comparing that against your preconceptions will hopefully address your concerns. For those who are advising those who have not received it, stepping back and listening to their concerns will deepen your understanding of how individual difference, perspective and background inform personal medical decisions, an essential skill not only for clinicians but all of us as we seek first to understand and to celebrate our individual strengths.
So, as you prepare to enjoy the annual renewal that spring has to offer, step back for a moment and reflect on how far we have come in a year. Your dedication, persistence and resilience will continue to pay an increasing dividend as we redouble our efforts to achieve maximum immunity for ourselves, our families and ultimately our communities.
With my continued respect and admiration,
SG
Bruce L. Gillingham, MD, CPE, FAOA
RADM, MC, USN
Surgeon General, U.S. Navy
Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
Support the Blog by Donating to My Brother’s Trek Across the US to Fight Cancer – He’s Made it Halfway!
My brother Jarad is famous for having run every street and alley in Washington DC:
A DC Man Ran Every Single Street (and Alley) in DC
He scored a sabbatical from his teaching job and is using it to walk/run across the entire US, Forrest Gump style, to fight cancer. If you’ve ever appreciated the blog, you can show it by donating to his cause here:
https://fundraise.cancerresearch.org/fundraiser/2703781
He’s chronicling he journey on Instagram if you want to follow along and see how he’s doing. He’s made it halfway!
FY22 Executive Medicine Instruction and Application Info
The updated command/executive medicine instruction, form, and FY22 opportunities list are here:
Here is one Deputy Corps Chief’s attempt to boil it down to the essentials:
In brief, if you want to apply for an Executive Medicine position in FY22 you need to:
1. Read the BUMEDINST 1412.1C with CH-1 and CH-2.
2. Take a look at the FY22 opportunities.
3. Decide if you are interested, noting that on page 3 of the instruction it states, “Expectation is that command screened officers will be universally assignable and able to meet permanent change of station parameters.” It also states, “Rare exceptions may be considered.” In this group I’d include EFMP, dual active-duty co-location, and other similar situations. In addition, page 9 states, “Applicants who successfully screen are considered eligible for assignment to any executive medicine position within Navy Medicine…and if slated, will be assigned based on the Needs of the Navy. Officers who apply for command screening should do so with this in mind, and be willing to accept an executive medicine position for which they are slated.” If you have questions about what is possible and what is not, you need to communicate with me.
4. If you have not been command screened, you must submit the required documents to PERS-4415 by 15 JUN 2021. Instructions are in the BUMEDINST and the NAVMED 1412_1 (March 2021) form.
5. If you have already been command screened and you are a “banked officer” with AQD 2D1 (you probably know who you are) but you ARE NOT currently serving as a CO or XO, you need to make sure your officer record is up to date as your record will be reviewed at the command screening board (see page 9 of the instruction). You DO NOT have to submit an application to PERS, though. Just make sure your record is up-to-date. After the board, you will have to submit a Letter of Intent, CV, bio, CO’s endorsement, and NAVMED 1412_1 (March 2021) form to me by COB 30 JUL 2021.
6. If you have already been command screened and you are a “banked officer” with AQD 2D1 (you probably know who you are) and you ARE currently serving as a CO or XO, you will have to submit a Letter of Intent, CV, bio, CO’s endorsement, and NAVMED 1412_1 (March 2021) form to me by COB 30 JUL 2021.
7. Please note that the Letter of Intent can be the world’s most basic Letter of Intent.
If there are any questions, contact me. There is nothing like an instruction with 2 change transmittals to really generate questions.
If you need guidance updating your record for the screening board, go here.
The most important thing right now is the deadline of 15 JUN 2021 to be screened for command. In addition, we are encouraging people interested in operational command XO and CO positions to apply. These include Medical Battalions and Expeditionary Medical Facilities. We intend to do everything we can to put MC officers in these leadership roles. We MAY (note the emphasis) be using qualified CDRs as XOs for some of these units, so if you are interested in being an XO and are an O5, you are encouraged to apply.
Finally, no matter what we do, there are always updates to initial opportunity lists. If you see something you don’t think is correct, please let me know so we can figure it out. You may know something we don’t know.
If there are any questions, please let me know.
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 