Author: Joel Schofer, MD, MBA, CPE
Reimbursement for Board Certification Exams & Maintenance of Certification
This is a process that physicians mess up all the time, leading to much frustration. Here are the key points to note from the explanation below:
- You must submit the request 6 weeks before you need to leave for the exam.
- You must have 1 year of active duty service left following the exam date.
- You must request the travel ahead of time. You can’t do it after the fact.
- You have to request the reimbursement request in the same fiscal year as the test.
This is straight from the Medical Corps Funding website, which is where you should go for the most up-to-date information on this topic:
In accordance with BUMEDINST 1500.20, Navy Medicine Professional Development Center may provide funding to Medical Corps Officers for certification examinations, recertification examinations, maintenance of certification (MOC) examinations and MOC fees. Only funding requests for Medical Specialty Board Examinations approved by American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) are authorized to be considered for funding.
Funding requests must be submitted to the funding group email address usn.bethesda.navmedprodevctrmd.list.nmpdc-cme-funding@mail.mil at least six weeks prior to the member’s travel or examination. Members requesting certification funding must have at least one year of active duty service following their examination date. Examinations must be taken at the closest available testing center.
Travel must be requested in advance; it cannot be funded after the fact. Only MOC fees paid during the current fiscal year will be considered for reimbursement.
To create your funding request, view the document MC Board Funding Request Checklist. Use the other documents, as required by the checklist, to complete your request:
Obligated Service Date Statement
Sample Endorsement for MC Board Certification
Sample Request for MC Board Certification
Should you need it, detailed information regarding the funding process can be found in the last document titled MC Funding Guidance.
FY17 Senior Executive Medicine Slate Released
Congrats to all the officers who were slated to these senior leadership positions:
CNO’s Navy Leader Development Framework 2017
Here is the CNO’s Navy Leader Development Framework 2017. The most relevant portion for us is Appendix 2, found on page 12, as it highlights some things you should try to do as you progress in your career, like advanced degrees (Naval Postgraduate School, War College) and JPME I.
Blended Retirement System Opt-in Course Now On-Line
By Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (NNS) — Tuesday, the Navy released NAVADMIN 020/17 announcing the release and availability of the Blended Retirement System (BRS) Opt-In course.
The decision to stay in the current retirement system or opt-in to BRS is an important and irrevocable decision that eligible Sailors must make based on their own individual circumstances. This course aims to help eligible service members make that decision.
All service members who are opt-in eligible must complete the Blended Retirement System training, now available on Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) at: http://jkodirect.jten.mil/html/COI.xhtml?course_prefix=J3O&course_number=P-US1332 (course #: J3O P-US1332). The training will be available soon on Navy e-Learning.
Active Component (AC) members are eligible to opt-in if they entered military service on or before Dec. 31, 2017, and have less than 12 years of service.
Reserve Component (RC) members, including Full Time Support (FTS) members, can opt-in if they entered military service on or before Dec. 31, 2017, and they have accumulated fewer than 4,320 retirement points as of Dec. 31, 2017.
United States Naval Academy and Reserve Officer Training Corps Midshipmen as well as Delayed Entry Program service members are opt-in eligible if they entered the military on or before Dec. 31, 2017.
Eligible Sailors should have received notification of their opt-in eligibility via email (sent to the email address registered to an individual’s Navy Standard Integrated Personnel System (NSIPS) account). Command administration departments must contact their personnel support divisions to access a list of all opt-in eligible members within their command and then notify all opt-in eligible members within their units.
In order to ensure opt-in eligible Sailors are making the most informed decision possible, a few additional tools have been developed for use. Additionally, an on-line calculator is expected to be released in March to aid eligible members in their decision making process.
The Navy has also developed the Navy Financial Literacy app that is designed to provide Sailors with access to both training and resources, which is especially critical during the transition to BRS. The free app is available for download now at the Google Play and iTunes app stores. To find the app, search “Navy Financial Literacy” in the app stores or in your web browser.
For the most up-to-date information on BRS and links to training go to the Uniform Services Blended Retirement web page at http://militarypay.defense.gov/BlendedRetirement/.
For complete information on BRS opt-in training requirements and availability see NAVADMIN 020/16 at http://www.npc.navy.mil.
For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.
For more news from Chief of Naval Personnel, visit www.navy.mil/local/cnp/.
Joel Schofer’s Fitrep Prep
Thousands of times a year Navy physicians struggle to do something that no one really ever teaches them how to do…write their fitrep. I have read the Navy fitrep instruction, taken guidance I’ve received from senior Navy leaders and classes I’ve attended, and consolidated it into one document that you can read from start to finish when you need to write your fitrep. Click here for the latest version of Joel Schofer’s Fitrep Prep:
Changes Ahead for Navy Personnel System
Here is a link to a Navy Times article from the Chief of Naval Personnel. In it, he discusses some changes coming our way. In my opinion, the ones most likely to affect physicians include:
- Updated and modern personnel systems – He says, “We are in the process of modernizing our IT infrastructure in preparation for transition to a modern, cloud-based integrated pay and personnel system. This will allow Sailors to conduct all manner of personnel issues, from pay and leave, to interactions with detailers, via modern, easily-accessible and simple to use programs that work on a personal mobile device.”
- A Detailing Marketplace – The CNP says, “In the coming years, we’re working to implement our “Detailing Marketplace” Fleet-wide, which will allow Sailors to negotiate job assignments directly with gaining commands.” We actually did a pilot Detailing Marketplace for all 2017 physician assignments in Emergency Medicine. Will this effort expand beyond our one-time trial/pilot in 2017? I think that is yet to be determined, but when the CNP is discussing a Detailing Marketplace, it is my opinion that some changes will be coming our way in how physicians are assigned in the Navy.
The CNP wants your feedback on these and other Sailor 2025 initiatives:
“As we go forward, we want Sailors’ input on additional ideas to pursue as part of Sailor 2025. Hearing from you is the best way we can make our policies and systems even better. You have a direct line to me in order to make sure your ideas are heard – send them to: usnpeople.fct@navy.mil.
Distance is No Obstacle to Gaining a Naval War College Diploma
Here and below is an article about the War College distance learning program. I’ve participated in the Fleet Seminar while at home and the CD-ROM version while deployed, and I’m on track to finish my JPME-I this year. I’ve found the programs to be highly educational/beneficial and strongly recommend you check them out.
By Ezra J. Elliott, U.S. Naval War College Public Affairs
NEWPORT, R.I. (NNS) — Since its pilot course in 1914, the College of Distance Education (CDE) at U.S. Naval War College (NWC) in Newport, Rhode Island, has celebrated more than a century of education, graduating more than 145,000 military and civilian students worldwide.
It is the goal of CDE to provide NWC’s superlative education to students around the globe, helping develop leaders and encourage excellence the world over.
“Not everybody can physically come to the NWC and attend in residence,” said Timothy Garrold, deputy director of CDE. “There are so many qualified students and a very finite number of seats in Newport. CDE greatly expands the opportunity for people to get this education, fulfill the Joint Professional Military Education Phase I (JPME-I) requirement, and share the NWC experience.”
The three main CDE courses are Strategy and War, Theater Security Decision Making, and Joint Maritime Operations. In CDE programs, these courses are adaptations of the curriculum offered in residence; the main difference is the method in which the materials are presented.
Students may choose any of four methods to complete their coursework: The Fleet Seminar Program, composed of faculty-led seminars provided at 19 select locations across the U.S.; a web-enabled program; a CD ROM-based program; and the Naval War College-at-Naval Postgraduate School (NWC-at-NPS) program in Monterey, California, which is a partnership between NWC and the Naval Postgraduate School through which students may complete their JPME-I qualification while earning a NPS master’s degree.
“The four programs we offer now really give prospective students an opportunity to assess both what they have time to do and how they want to learn,” said Garrold.
NWC’s CDE is open to U.S. officers of all military services and to eligible U.S. federal government civilian employees, in addition to a limited number of foreign officers. All prospective students can enroll by filling out and submitting an application for review. Applications for each CDE program can be found on the NWC website at http://usnwc.edu/Academics/College-of-Distance-Education.aspx/.
Capt. Todd Gaston, a Marine Corps officer stationed at the Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island, opted for the Fleet Seminar Program. Despite being in the area, Gaston decided to enroll in CDE instead of going through NWC’s resident program.
“The resident course is great, but CDE allows me to do my job as a lawyer and still better my education,” Gaston said. “Especially in the legal field, you need to be on site, doing your job to get better at providing command advice. CDE is a very beneficial option for me.”
Lt. Cmdr. Leslie Councilor, a recent CDE graduate, agreed. Councilor participated in the Fleet Seminar Program in both Bremerton, Washington, and Norfolk. She now works at U.S Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk as the Navy’s only Fleet Medical Laboratory scientist.
Being a leader in Navy Medicine, Councilor had a desire to learn more about the Navy as a whole, knowing a better understanding would assist her in her medical work. Councilor studied from fall 2013 until spring 2016, constantly learning from the positions and experiences of her military and civilian peers.
“I now have a better understanding of how the Navy enterprise accomplishes its purposes of maritime protection and governess of U.S. interests worldwide,” Councilor said. “Now, as a medical professional, I can assist that demographic with their proper health care needs. The knowledge I gained cannot be overstated; I am a better Sailor and naval officer from my NWC experience.”
Though the Fleet Seminar Program most closely resembles the experience of resident NWC students, the faculty and staff in CDE have worked to make sure the web- and CD ROM-based programs are as engaging as possible.
“Originally, our distance education program was a box of books and a test that arrived on your doorstep,” said Garrold. “Students in this day and age are not going to be satisfied with that. They’re used to being challenged, multi-tasking and interacting.”
Educational specialists, web designers, and programmers on the CDE staff do research to find out how technology can be used to better the learning experience. Both the web-enabled and CD ROM-based programs have evolved to include embedded videos and other multimedia presentations in addition to readings. Students are also encouraged to contact professors at the NWC directly if they have questions.
Regardless of the program, CDE students participate in graduate-level research, reading, essay writing, active learning opportunities, and exams that extensively prepare them for their future careers. Though the courses may be completed in any sequence and through any program, only students who complete coursework via the Fleet Seminar Program are eligible for the NWC Master of Arts Degree in Defense and Strategic Studies. Otherwise, students who complete the program requirements earn graduate credit, a NWC diploma, and JPME-I credit.
For more news from Naval War College, visit http://www.navy.mil/local/nwc/.
National Capital Region Chief Clinical Informatics Officer – Senior O5/O6
Here is a call for the National Capital Region Chief Clinical Informatics Officer position. The position description calls for an O-6, but senior O-5 applicants will be considered. Prior to application, you are supposed to check with your Detailer to ensure he/she would support your application.
If you are interested, BUMED has asked that all applicants route their package through their Specialty Leader and include CV/BIO/LOI/OSR/PSR by 3 FEB.
Tips to Get Selected for GME
The Graduate Medical Education Selection Board (GMESB) results were released last month with a 30 DEC deadline to accept or decline any spots you were offered. Undoubtedly there were some people who didn’t get what they want. I’ve participated in the last three GMESBs and would like to offer tips for people looking to match for GME in the future. We’ll cover general tips and those specific for internship and residency/fellowship:
General Tips
- Money is getting tight for permanent change of station (PCS) moves at BUPERS. I think you can increase your chances of matching in GME by being local, or at least on the same coast, as the GME program where you want to train. Keep this in mind when you are picking your Flight Surgery (FS), Undersea Medical Officer (UMO), General Medical Officer (GMO), or post-residency assignments.
- You can increase your score at the GMESB by having publications. If you want to give yourself the best chance of maximizing your score, you need at least two peer-reviewed publications. Any publications or scholarly activity have the chance to get you points, but having two peer-reviewed publications is the goal you should be trying to reach.
- Be realistic about your chances of matching. If you are applying to a competitive specialty and you’ve failed a board exam or had to repeat a year in medical school, you are probably not going to match in that specialty. There are some specialties where you can overcome a major blight on your record, but there are some where you can’t. If this is applicable to you, the residency director or specialty leader should be able to give you some idea of your chances. Will they be honest and direct with you? I’m not sure, but it can’t hurt to ask.
- If you are having trouble matching in the Navy for GME, you may have a better chance as a civilian. By the time you pay back your commitment to the Navy, you are a wiser, more mature applicant that some civilian residency programs might prefer over an inexperienced medical student. You’ll also find some fairly patriotic residency programs, usually with faculty who are prior military, that may take you despite your academic struggles.
Tips for Medical Students Applying for Internship
- Do everything you can to do a rotation with the GME program you want to match at. You want them to know who you are.
- When you are applying for internship, make sure your 2nd choice is not a popular internship (Emergency Medicine, Orthopedics, etc.). If you don’t match in your 1st choice and your 2nd choice is a popular internship, then it will likely have filled during the initial match. This means you get put in the “intern scramble” and you’ll likely wind up in an internship you didn’t even list on your application.
- Your backup plan if you don’t match should be an alternative program at the same site where you eventually want to match for residency. For example, in my specialty (Emergency Medicine or EM) we only have residencies at NMCP and NMCSD. If someone doesn’t match for an EM internship at NMCP or NMCSD, they will have a better chance of eventually matching for EM residency if they do an internship locally, like a transitional internship. Internships at Walter Reed or any other hospital without an EM program are quality programs, but it is much easier to pledge the fraternity if you are physically present and can get to know people, attending conferences and journal clubs when you can.
- You need to think about what you will do in your worst-case scenario, a 1-year civilian deferment for internship. Many of the medical students I interviewed did not have a plan if they got a 1-year deferment. I think every medical student needs to do one of two things. Either they should pick 10-15 civilian transitional year internships (or whatever internship they want) and apply to those just in case they get a 1-year deferment, or they should just plan to apply to internships late or scramble if this unlikely event happens to you. Most medical students do not grasp the concept that this could happen to them and have no plan to deal with it if it does. It is an unlikely event, especially if you are a strong applicant, and you can always just scramble at the last minute, but this is an issue that every medical student should think through. If you are going to just scramble at the last minute, that is fine, but it should be an informed choice.
Tips for Officers Applying for Residency or Fellowship
- You should show up whenever you can for conferences and journal clubs. Again, you want them to know who you are and by attending these events when you can you demonstrate your commitment to the specialty and their program.
- Always get a warfare device (if one is available) during your FS, UMO, or GMO tour. Not having it is a red flag.
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 