promotion
NAVADMIN With Delayed O4/O5 Promotions Released
The delayed O4 and O5 promotions are on this message that was just released:
Are LT Medical Corps Fitreps Important? TL:DR = Yes
Someone recently e-mailed me because they were having problems convincing their LTs that their fitreps mattered. Trust me, they matter.
The most important reason that they matter is because of changes made in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. Prior to NDAA 20, the Navy was allowed to promote to O4 with an all fully qualified standard. In other words, the promotion opportunity was 100%. Here is a history of the O4 promotion opportunity:
| FY10 | FY11 | FY12 | FY13 | FY14 | FY15 | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | |
| O4 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 95% |
As you can see, the opportunity decreased from 100% to 95% in FY22.
This means that it got a little bit harder to promote to O4, and a little more competitive. In other words, your fitreps as an O3 matter.
You Made CDR! Now What?
If you are one of the lucky people who made CDR, I have some things for you to consider:
- The next 2-3 years of fitreps may mean very little to your overall career. First, you are soon going to be in the most competitive group in the Medical Corps, Commanders scratching and clawing to make Captain. If you are at a medium to large command, no matter what you do as a junior Commander, you are likely to get a P (promotable) on your fitreps. That is just how it works for most commands.
- This first bullet means that now is the PERFECT time to do something “alternative” (off the usual career path for a physician) or take a position that you know will get you 1/1 fitreps or be part of a very small competitive group. Go to the War College. Take a senior operational job where you’ll get a 1/1 fitrep. Become a Detailer. Apply for fellowship because the NOB fitreps won’t hurt you as a junior Commander or Commander Select. Now is the time to do these type of things. You don’t want to wait until you are a few years below zone for Captain. When you reach this stage you’ll need competitive EP fitreps.
- After you are selected for your next rank is also a great time to move/PCS. Have you ever been OCONUS? If not, now would be a great time to go. You can PCS somewhere for 2-3 years and then PCS to the command where you are going to set up shop and try to make Captain. At OCONUS commands there is more turnover of staff, so major leadership jobs like MEC President, Department Head, and Director positions open up more frequently, setting you up to get a senior position when you return to CONUS.
- You may think I’m crazy, but it is time to start thinking about how you are going to make Captain. As I mentioned in the first bullet, getting a job that will make you a Captain is tough and competitive. Now is the time to do the things that will make you an excellent candidate for one of those jobs. Want to be a Residency Director? Maybe you should get a degree in adult or medical education. Want to be a Director? Maybe you should get a management degree like a Masters in Medical Management or an MBA. Want to be a senior operational leader? Now is the time to do Joint Professional Military Education I and/or II.
- Here is a list of the jobs that I think will likely make you a Captain. Read the list…figure out which of these jobs you are going to use to make Captain…and get busy preparing yourself to get them:
- Residency Director
- Department Head in a large MTF
- Director
- Chief Medical Officer
- Officer-in-Charge
- Major committee chair
- Medical Executive Committee President
- BUMED staff
- Specialty Leader
- Deployment requiring an O-5 or O-6
- Detailer
- Senior operational leader
- Division/Group/Wing Surgeon
- CATF Surgeon
- Amphib or CVN Senior Medical Officer
Optimally you’ll have the time when you are an O5 to do multiple jobs on the preceding list. For example, as an O5 I had been a Detailer, a Specialty Leader, Department Head, Associate Director, and CO of a deployed unit. My next step was to become a Director at a major MTF, and while I was a senior LCDR and CDR I obtained a Naval Postgraduate School MBA as well as achieved certification as a Certified Physician Executive to try and make myself a competitive candidate for a Director position. Ultimately, I became the Director for Healthcare Business at NMC Portsmouth.
Congratulations on making Commander…take a deep breath…and start thinking about some of the things I mentioned in this post. Before you know it you’ll be in zone for Captain.
2021 Update – What Should You Do If You Didn’t Promote?
If you are particularly interested in this post, I’m sorry. You or someone you care about probably failed to promote. In reality, nowadays it is normal and expected to fail to promote to O5 and O6, so you have company. Here are my suggestions for those that fail to promote.
Try to Figure Out Why You Didn’t Promote
First, try to figure out why you didn’t promote. Because the promotion board members are not allowed to speak about your board, you’ll never actually find out why you failed to promote, but you can usually take a pretty educated guess if you talk to the right people (like me).
If any of these things happened to you, they are likely a main reason you didn’t promote:
- Any PFA/BCA failures.
- Legal issues, such as a DUI or any other legal trouble.
- Failure to become board certified.
There are other things that could happen to you that make it difficult but not impossible to promote. They include:
- You have not been operational or deployed at all, or you have done so much less than your peers. The FY22 O6 promotion board materials emphasized that everyone needs to be operational.
- Coming into zone while in you were in GME.
- Having non-observed (NOB) fitreps before the board, such as those in full-time outservice training.
- Spending too much time in the fleet as a GMO, Flight Surgeon, or UMO. This is mostly because it causes you to come into zone for O5 while you are still in GME, and is more of a problem if your residency is long.
- Never getting a competitive early promote (EP) fitrep. Many officers who fail to select have never had a competitive EP fitrep in their current rank. This can be because they were stationed places without competitive groups and they get 1/1 fitreps, or it can be because they were in a competitive group and did not break out and get an EP. To me this is the #1 ingredient to promote…competitive EP fitreps. If you don’t have them, you are really up against it unless you are in a senior operational position that carries a lot of weight.
- Receiving potentially adverse fitreps. This most commonly happens when you are at an operational command and your reporting senior is not someone who is used to ranking Medical Corps officers, although it could happen for other reasons (like your reporting senior felt you deserved this type of fitrep). The most common situation would be if there is a competitive group of 2 officers but both are given must promote (MP) fitreps instead of 1 getting an EP and the other the MP. When both get an MP, it reflects poorly on both officers unless the reason for this is CLEARLY explained in the fitrep narrative, which it often is not. The other thing that happens is that a reporting senior gives you a 1/1 MP instead of a 1/1 EP. If you are ever getting a 1/1 fitrep, make sure you get an EP. You should consider getting a 1/1 MP an adverse fitrep. If there is no way around this, often because the reporting senior has a policy that they don’t give newly promoted officers an EP, make sure that this policy is clear in the fitrep narrative.
- Having a declining fitrep. Mostly this happens when you go from getting an EP to an MP on your fitrep under the same reporting senior. If it is because you changed competitive groups, like you went from being a resident to a staff physician, that is understandable and not a negative. If you didn’t change competitive groups, though, make sure the reason you declined is explained.
- Making it obvious to the promotion board that you didn’t update your record. The most obvious ways a promotion board will know you didn’t update your record is if your Officer Summary Record (OSR) is missing degrees that you obviously have (like your MD or DO) or if many of the sections of your OSR are either completely blank or required updating by the board recorders. Remember that although promotion board recorders will correct your record for you, anything they do and any corrections they make are annotated to the board. While a few corrections are OK, you don’t want a blank record that the recorders had to fill in. It demonstrates that you didn’t update your record.
Who Actually Promotes?
So who actually promotes to O5 and O6? In general, the officer who promotes has:
- Achieved board certification.
- Spent time in both a military treatment facility and in the operational setting.
- A demonstrated history of excellence as an officer. In other words, whenever they are in a competitive group, they successfully break out and get an EP fitrep. Being average is just not good enough anymore.
- No PFA failures, legal problems, declining fitreps, or potentially adverse fitreps.
- Updated their record, and if they previously failed to select they reviewed their record with their Detailer and actively worked to improve it.
What Do You Do If You Failed to Promote?
Realize that it is not the end of the world. Based on the recent promotion board statistics (which you can get in the Promo Prep), most officers were passed over for O5 or O6, but a large number of the officers selected were from the above zone group.
If you do nothing, you will continue to get looked at by promotion boards until you retire, resign, or are forced out of the Navy. There is no limit to the number of chances you get to promote and your record will be evaluated for promotion every year. That said…
You need to try to promote. Consider sending a letter to the promotion board. What do you say in this letter? First, briefly state that you want to be promoted and to continue your career in the Navy. Second, explain what a promotion would allow you to do that you can’t do at your current rank. Answer the question, “Why should they promote you?”
For example, if you want to be a Department Head at a large military treatment facility (MTF), a senior operational leader, or a Residency Director (or whatever you want to do), tell them that you need to be promoted to be competitive for these jobs. The Navy wants to promote leaders. Make it clear to them that you are a motivated future leader.
Try and get letters of support to attach to your letter. These letters should be from the most senior officers who can personally attest to your value to the Navy. In other words, it is probably better to get a letter from an O6 who knows you well than a 3 star who doesn’t. If you are not sure who to ask for letters, ask those more senior to you or your Detailer for advice. Your Specialty Leader is always someone to consider if he/she knows you well and can speak to your contributions to the specialty and Navy.
Have your record reviewed by your Detailer, Specialty Leader, other trusted senior advisor, or by me. Because of promotion board confidentiality, you will never know the reason(s) you did not promote, but most of the time experienced reviewers can come up with an educated guess. They’ll often find things that you were not even aware of, like potentially adverse fitreps, or information missing from your record. My promo prep document will help you as well.
Do everything you can to get “early promote” or “EP” fitreps. This is largely accomplished by continually striving for positions of increased leadership. You need to get a job that has historically led to a promotion while keeping in mind that the new MC career path emphasizes that all need to be operational.
As a LCDR who got passed over for CDR, try to get one of these jobs and excel at it (this list is not exhaustive and these positions are not the only path to CDR, but they are a good start):
- Assistant Program Director
- Division/Department Head
- Fleet Surgical Team (FST) Specialty Staff
- Global Health Engagement (GHE) Staff Officer
- Group/Senior Flight Surgeon (FS)
- Medical Battalion Specialty Staff
- Medical Executive Committee (MEC) Member
- Regimental Surgeon
- Senior Undersea Medical Officer (UMO)
- Ship or Group Senior Medical Officer (SMO)
- SMO/Medical Director
If you are a CDR who got passed over for CAPT, try to get one of these jobs and excel at it:
- Assistant Specialty Leader or Specialty Leader
- Chief Medical Officer (CMO)
- Director/Large Department Head at a NMRTC/MTF
- Division/Group/Wing Surgeon
- FST Officer-in-Charge (OIC) / CATF Surgeon
- GHE, Headquarters, or Navy Personnel Command (PERS) Staff
- Group UMO
- LHA/LHD/CVN SMO
- MEC Chair
- OIC
- Program Director
- Senior GHE Billet
Meet with your chain-of-command. After you’ve been passed over is not the time to be passive. You need to sit down with your leadership and get an honest assessment from them of how you’re doing and what they would recommend continuing to advance your career. You may not like what you hear, but it is better to find out early if they don’t think you’re doing a good job or that you are unlikely to break out on your fitreps. That way you can try and put yourself in a better situation by changing commands.
Things You Should Not Do
In addition to the above list of things you should do, there are a few things you should not do:
- Do not lie in your letter to the board. In other words, don’t tell them you want to do Executive Medicine if you don’t really want to. Your record reads like a book, and if it tells a story that is contrary to what your letter says, this is unlikely to help you and may hurt you.
- Do not send long correspondence. Promotion boards have to read everything sent to them, and a long letter may not be appreciated. Keep it brief and to the point.
- Do not ask your current CO to write you a letter to the board if they’ve done an observed fitrep on you. His or her opinion about you should be reflected on that fitrep, so they don’t need to write you a letter. If they’ve never given you an observed fitrep or there is some new information not reflected on prior fitreps, they could either write you a letter or give you a special fitrep. Ultimately it is up to them whether they do either of these or none.
- Do not discuss anything adverse unless you want the board to notice and discuss it. This issue comes up frequently and people will ask me for advice, but ultimately it is up to the individual officer. The one thing I can guarantee is that if you send a letter to the board and discuss something adverse, they will notice it because they will read your letter! If you think there is a chance the adverse matter will get overlooked, it is probably better not to mention it and keep your fingers crossed.
Never Stop Trying
Those are my tips for those who find themselves above zone. Most importantly, if you want to promote, NEVER STOP TRYING. You can usually stay in as a LCDR for 20 years, and I personally know of people who got promoted their 9th look!
FY22 Staff Corps O5 Promotion Board Results
UNCLASSIFIED//
ROUTINE
R 251657Z AUG 21 MID200001073553U
FM SECNAV WASHINGTON DC
TO ALNAV
INFO SECNAV WASHINGTON DC
CNO WASHINGTON DC
CMC WASHINGTON DC
BT
UNCLAS
ALNAV 060/21
MSGID/GENADMIN/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/-/AUG//
SUBJ/FISCAL YEAR 2022 ACTIVE-DUTY NAVY COMMANDER STAFF CORPS SELECTIONS//
REF/A/DOC/SECNAV/28APR21//
AMPN/REF A IS THE FISCAL YEAR 2022 ACTIVE-DUTY NAVY COMMANDER STAFF CORPS
PROMOTION SELECTION BOARD CONVENING ORDER.//
RMKS/1. I am pleased to announce the following Staff Corps Officers on the
Active-Duty list for promotion to the permanent grade of Commander.
2. This message is not authority to deliver appointments. Authority to
effect promotion will normally be issued by future NAVADMINs requiring
NAVPERS 1421/7 preparation and forwarding of document to PERS-806.
3. Frocking is not authorized for any officer listed below until specific
authorization is received per SECNAVINST 1420.2B.
4. For proper alphabetical order read from left to right on each line. The
numbers following each name to the right indicate the relative seniority
among selectees within each competitive category. Note: An (*) by the name
indicates the selectee was merit reordered to the top of the promotion list
in accordance with reference (a). Members are directed to verify their
select status via BUPERS Online.
Medical Corps
Alatise Adeniyi S 0022 Aleid Haydar Mohali 0065
Anderson William C 0106 Andrews Mary Anne 0035
Arbuthnot Mary K 0108 Aurigemma David F 0076
Barlow Brian Thomas * 0005 Bauer Matthew Paul P 0096
Bayly Terrence D * 0007 Bowers Daniel Leonard 0030
Buckley Ryan Thomas 0068 Buckley Sarah Basha 0097
Burgess Matthew Daniel 0067 Buttolph Amelia Harris 0107
Bylund William E 0081 Caoile Samuel N 0013
Cheng Kai Yan 0014 Choi Anthony Joon 0026
Choi Pamela Mina 0053 Christensen Daniel L 0064
Cochran Grant K 0071 Cosentino Christopher 0050
Coulthard Stacy Lauren 0015 Cripe Paul 0079
Dean Daniel Joseph Jr 0101 Degeus John Benjamin 0083
Douglas Brigham Lee 0105 Elek Steven IV 0100
Engkulawy Jennifer Kar * 0008 Enujioke Sharon C 0043
Fischer Kimberly Lynn 0024 Frasier Samuel Dennis 0109
Gaylord Bethany Kay 0087 Generoso Judith C 0092
Goodlow Gale Kirk II 0046 Gower Jonathan Robert 0073
Griffin David L 0040 Gutweiler Alex August 0062
Hack Nawaz Khan A 0036 Haight Sean Patrick 0102
Hall Kent Michael 0104 Hansen Todd Phillip 0041
Hauck Heather Noelle 0084 Healy Mae Wu 0091
Heitzmann Mark D 0018 Hendricksen Paul D 0021
Henebry Andrew D 0069 Hernandez Amy Ann 0047
Higgs Maureen Murray 0044 Jaskiewicz Jennifer L 0103
Jin Mia 0031 Krispinsky Luke Thomas 0034
Kuckel Daniel P 0066 Lacroix Christina L 0020
Langevin Paul Noel 0011 Larsen Eric Christian 0056
Lawson Scott Michael 0088 Lehmann Benjamin John 0094
Lopreiato Joseph O 0090 Matchin Bruce Liron 0029
Mathurin Jean Gilnord 0061 Molenat Marc Alain 0023
Monson Michael James E 0099 Moore Joseph Andrew 0063
Morrisonponce Daphne P * 0009 Mullinax Ross A 0052
Myslin Robert 0033 Oakley Luke Steven * 0006
Obrien Brendan Stephen 0077 Oladipo Olamide J 0093
Olson Erik Joseph 0070 Osborne Todd Graham 0057
Overbey Jamie Kathleen 0095 Perez Colleen Frances * 0002
Perry Alexandra V 0082 Phillips Jamal Amir 0019
Quan Sara Janine 0016 Roberson Nolen F 0080
Ross Warren Leslie 0086 Russell Matthew Craig 0054
Schonau Jesse Taylor * 0010 Seavey Jonathan Glover 0039
Shanahan Erik Edmond 0075 Sick Megan Mackenzie 0028
Sklar Robert Vincent 0049 Smith Stephanie L 0045
Snow Ryan William 0098 Solis Ana Lidia 0060
Sosa Leivi Alejandro 0032 Speth Jodi L 0012
Stein Loretta Lindsay 0089 Stonegarza Kristi K 0055
Story Scott Gerald 0038 Stuart Sean M * 0003
Thompson Richard B * 0001 Thota Darshan S 0025
Uber Ian Chauncey 0074 Valadao Jason Matteo 0059
Vigilante John A IV 0051 Wagner Scott C 0085
Wallace James D 0078 Westbrook James Wesley 0058
Wilcox Clifton James 0037 Wolanin Alfred J III 0017
Yoder James Austin * 0004 Zakaroff Michael G 0072
Zeman Karen Grace 0048 Zundel Nathan Stewart 0027
Dental Corps
Ayesh Karima 0021 Bartol Richard D III 0017
Bennett Bradley A 0019 Black Stephen Robert 0003
Bohman Michael Anthony 0006 Callaway Brandon K 0013
Chandler Karl Maxce 0004 Dulebohn Rachel Victor 0023
Fan Kenneth Ka Ho 0011 Fix Amanda Alayne 0007
Hain Karsten Johannes 0016 Hawkins James Mark 0012
Kim Shin Joseph 0008 Ku Jimmy Hyon 0015
Lee John Jaejin 0001 Lewis Michael J 0020
Muckenthaler Joseph R 0002 Rutherford Grant R 0009
Shaul James Allan 0010 Smith Jeffrey Tell 0014
Sparks Jeremiah Jason 0022 Watson Justin Isaiah 0005
Yu Stacy Leefung 0018
Medical Service Corps
Aniagyei Ebenezer 0013 Biehn Jeremy Orion * 0003
Bird Henry L 0024 Bowers Micheal Paul 0016
Butler Clifton D 0031 Cacioppo Wendy K 0006
Cole Douglas Eugene Jr 0025 Colvin Walter James Jr 0033
Condon Rachel W P 0032 Delinsky Richard Jason 0019
Donovan Kellye Ann 0009 Eggan Stephen Melford 0037
Greene Marissa Lizette 0035 Hamilton Theron 0008
Hawks Beth Ann 0010 Hoffman Derek Boyd 0026
Horner Matthew J 0005 Keil Joshua Israel 0029
Kelly Brenna S 0021 Linomontes Carlos A 0020
Mokashi Vishwesh P * 0002 Morris Shawn Matthew 0034
Ortiz Pedro Angel * 0001 Parkes Melissa K 0012
Pierce Katherine E 0017 Potter Megan Ilene 0036
Rieman Megan J 0004 Rutledge Andrew Coates 0027
Schaal Nicholas C 0023 Sciarini Lee William 0038
Shea Jonathan Grant 0007 Smith Kathleen C 0022
Smith Eugene Jr 0015 Speitel James Daniel 0011
Valentine David III 0014 Wick Jannifer Lynn 0030
Wright Jason Earl 0028 Zeiler Adam Lawrence 0018
Judge Advocate General's Corps
Baldini Emilee Kujat 0004 Beasleyledet Ronisha 0003
Bridges Daniel Maclay 0017 Carlisle Parker S 0001
Champ Theresa J 0005 Darco Neil Robert 0002
Eaton Thomas Liefke 0012 Ford Jessica Lynn 0015
Gough Charles C 0014 Hochmuth Paul T Jr 0007
Hudson Latham Taylor 0011 Jackson Patrick Owen 0006
Obrien Leah Alston 0008 Roach Brian Francis 0009
Sargent Brandon Hale 0018 Sham Anthony Philip 0013
Thompson Paul Henry 0010 Whitican Michael F 0016
Nurse Corps
Adams Tuesday Lynn 0026 Barber Kenneth D 0031
Boerste Laura Ann 0009 Braxton Elyse Marie 0029
Broughton Mohneke V 0021 Burleson Stephanie L 0023
Bushey Michael Dennis 0016 Chamberas Sarah Marion 0024
Guerricagoitia Darcy R 0018 Hamrick Jonathan David 0041
Heck Candice Dawn 0010 Hemphill Annette Marie 0006
Horne Miranda Renee 0035 Horton Kayla R 0030
Hosea Michelle Kay 0013 Hurda Molly P 0002
Ikari Sachiko M 0028 Jolly Sondra Lee 0036
Kelly Angela Marie 0014 Kidde Katherine M 0007
Kline Candice Nicole 0038 Lee Nathan J 0033
Linder Kristie Lian 0017 Lum Andy Glynn 0034
Lynn Christopher Allen 0037 Mathie Cameron F 0032
Mccormick Michelle M 0019 Mcdonald David Ryan 0040
Oconnor Melody Ann 0020 Perez Nicholas Gregory 0027
Philipcyprien Wendyali 0003 Riddell Autumn Johanna * 0001
Rodriguez Rebeca S 0039 Rucker Michael Todd 0025
Saito Britney E 0004 Tallent Sarah Jane T 0022
Urban Carrie Easton 0008 Weaver Meghan Lynn 0015
Weiss Stella Jeanette 0011 Whalen Allyson Edith 0012
Williams Brenda M 0005
Supply Corps
Adams Scott Edward 0037 Albesa Frederic 0015
Amundson Patrick David 0052 Anliker Anja Delora 0038
Armstrong Zachary John 0047 Aurelio Carnell P 0036
Buchanan Christopher M 0013 Clarida Kevin Dale 0010
Clark Philip F Jr 0035 Conklin James Pierce 0054
Cook Gale Abraham III * 0007 Damore Kathryn Mcgrath 0048
Dausen Michael Paul * 0002 Davis Andrea Karen 0018
Fuery Paul Daniel 0041 Galvao Jose Augusto 0050
Golden Rayfield Nathan 0023 Haley Andrew Robert 0009
Hicks Bryce Bailey 0053 Hill Timothy Michael 0044
Hilliard Adam Gregory 0028 Ho Eugene Kai Jung 0034
Kloepping Paul John * 0006 Lorge Matthew Moran 0024
Maldonado Daniel III 0019 Mannila Stephen James 0020
Mason Christopher Matt * 0003 Mcfarland Jay Tirrell 0040
Medici David Anthony 0032 Miller Travis Michael 0033
Morrison William Earl 0039 Nichollscarvajal Eduar 0046
Niven Brent Errol 0017 Nixon Edward Paul 0042
Notarnicola Paul Chris 0012 Odom David Freeman 0025
Odonnell John Patrick 0051 Palmer Brandon William 0043
Pennycooke Carlisle C 0029 Petty Jesse Paul 0022
Pfaff Jason Joseph 0011 Renken Renae Joyce 0014
Revitzer Jason Lewis 0049 Sirkin Sarah Stasko 0016
Sly Mary Elizabeth B 0045 Steffensmeier Jamie J * 0004
Stonecipher David Jose * 0001 Takanen Laura A 0021
Thornton Aaron Travis 0030 Tuddenham Michael S * 0005
Urech Anthony Carroll * 0008 Walls Remuis Deangelo 0027
Wang Xiao Y 0026 Yap Charmaine Roldan 0031
Chaplain Corps
Adams Christopher A 0012 Coley Patricia Ann 0004
Daigle David A * 0003 Espinosa Ken Roger 0020
Fasnacht Robert Dale 0022 Foster Devon Hugh 0011
Fullerton Daniel J 0008 Gregory Jason Andrew 0013
Hampton Diane Marie 0024 Hazlett Gregory Robert 0017
Hogan James Phillip 0021 Kennedy Michael Shaun 0019
Kitzman Glen Daniel 0014 Mason Scott Patrick 0018
Mayer Joseph F 0010 Muehler Carl Benjamin 0005
Perry Jeffrey Alan * 0002 Robbins Arthur Jose II 0025
Rutan James Mark 0023 Settlemoir Jon E 0006
Stephens Jonathan D 0015 Weatherwax Jason David 0016
West Christopher James * 0001 Williams Buster Lee 0009
Williford James P Jr 0007
Civil Engineer Corps
Angle Jon Arnold 0006 Beyer Bryan Joseph 0011
Bingham Trevor A 0004 Buechel Richard Edward 0020
Caponigro Michelle S 0019 Caudle Kimberly Marie 0005
Farrar Douglass G 0015 Frank John David * 0002
Gruber Marjorie J 0018 Hess Heather Marie * 0001
Keesee Cody Wayne 0022 Knotts Douglas H 0017
Lewis Joshua Mark 0023 Mcdowell Christopher J 0012
Morrissey Nigel Todd 0016 Moyer Andrew Gerald 0014
Mutyala Rama Kiran 0010 Ray Jason Robert 0007
Takach Andrew Michael * 0003 Talley Shawn Eric 0009
Torgesen Russell Brent 0008 Widhalm Christopher J 0021
Wright Shannon Lovonne 0013
5. Released by the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy.//
BT
#0001
NNNN
UNCLASSIFIED//
2021 Update – What Should You Do If You Didn’t Promote?
If you are particularly interested in this post, I’m sorry. You or someone you care about probably failed to promote. In reality, nowadays it is normal and expected to fail to promote to O5 and O6, so you have company. Here are my suggestions for those that fail to promote.
Try to Figure Out Why You Didn’t Promote
First, try to figure out why you didn’t promote. Because the promotion board members are not allowed to speak about your board, you’ll never actually find out why you failed to promote, but you can usually take a pretty educated guess if you talk to the right people (like me).
If any of these things happened to you, they are likely a main reason you didn’t promote:
- Any PFA/BCA failures.
- Legal issues, such as a DUI or any other legal trouble.
- Failure to become board certified.
There are other things that could happen to you that make it difficult but not impossible to promote. They include:
- You have not been operational or deployed at all, or you have done so much less than your peers. The FY22 O6 promotion board materials emphasized that everyone needs to be operational.
- Coming into zone while in you were in GME.
- Having non-observed (NOB) fitreps before the board, such as those in full-time outservice training.
- Spending too much time in the fleet as a GMO, Flight Surgeon, or UMO. This is mostly because it causes you to come into zone for O5 while you are still in GME, and is more of a problem if your residency is long.
- Never getting a competitive early promote (EP) fitrep. Many officers who fail to select have never had a competitive EP fitrep in their current rank. This can be because they were stationed places without competitive groups and they get 1/1 fitreps, or it can be because they were in a competitive group and did not break out and get an EP. To me this is the #1 ingredient to promote…competitive EP fitreps. If you don’t have them, you are really up against it unless you are in a senior operational position that carries a lot of weight.
- Receiving potentially adverse fitreps. This most commonly happens when you are at an operational command and your reporting senior is not someone who is used to ranking Medical Corps officers, although it could happen for other reasons (like your reporting senior felt you deserved this type of fitrep). The most common situation would be if there is a competitive group of 2 officers but both are given must promote (MP) fitreps instead of 1 getting an EP and the other the MP. When both get an MP, it reflects poorly on both officers unless the reason for this is CLEARLY explained in the fitrep narrative, which it often is not. The other thing that happens is that a reporting senior gives you a 1/1 MP instead of a 1/1 EP. If you are ever getting a 1/1 fitrep, make sure you get an EP. You should consider getting a 1/1 MP an adverse fitrep. If there is no way around this, often because the reporting senior has a policy that they don’t give newly promoted officers an EP, make sure that this policy is clear in the fitrep narrative.
- Having a declining fitrep. Mostly this happens when you go from getting an EP to an MP on your fitrep under the same reporting senior. If it is because you changed competitive groups, like you went from being a resident to a staff physician, that is understandable and not a negative. If you didn’t change competitive groups, though, make sure the reason you declined is explained.
- Making it obvious to the promotion board that you didn’t update your record. The most obvious ways a promotion board will know you didn’t update your record is if your Officer Summary Record (OSR) is missing degrees that you obviously have (like your MD or DO) or if many of the sections of your OSR are either completely blank or required updating by the board recorders. Remember that although promotion board recorders will correct your record for you, anything they do and any corrections they make are annotated to the board. While a few corrections are OK, you don’t want a blank record that the recorders had to fill in. It demonstrates that you didn’t update your record.
Who Actually Promotes?
So who actually promotes to O5 and O6? In general, the officer who promotes has:
- Achieved board certification.
- Spent time in both a military treatment facility and in the operational setting.
- A demonstrated history of excellence as an officer. In other words, whenever they are in a competitive group, they successfully break out and get an EP fitrep. Being average is just not good enough anymore.
- No PFA failures, legal problems, declining fitreps, or potentially adverse fitreps.
- Updated their record, and if they previously failed to select they reviewed their record with their Detailer and actively worked to improve it.
What Do You Do If You Failed to Promote?
Realize that it is not the end of the world. Based on the recent promotion board statistics (which you can get in the Promo Prep), most officers were passed over for O5 or O6, but a large number of the officers selected were from the above zone group.
If you do nothing, you will continue to get looked at by promotion boards until you retire, resign, or are forced out of the Navy. There is no limit to the number of chances you get to promote and your record will be evaluated for promotion every year. That said…
You need to try to promote. Consider sending a letter to the promotion board. What do you say in this letter? First, briefly state that you want to be promoted and to continue your career in the Navy. Second, explain what a promotion would allow you to do that you can’t do at your current rank. Answer the question, “Why should they promote you?”
For example, if you want to be a Department Head at a large military treatment facility (MTF), a senior operational leader, or a Residency Director (or whatever you want to do), tell them that you need to be promoted to be competitive for these jobs. The Navy wants to promote leaders. Make it clear to them that you are a motivated future leader.
Try and get letters of support to attach to your letter. These letters should be from the most senior officers who can personally attest to your value to the Navy. In other words, it is probably better to get a letter from an O6 who knows you well than a 3 star who doesn’t. If you are not sure who to ask for letters, ask those more senior to you or your Detailer for advice. Your Specialty Leader is always someone to consider if he/she knows you well and can speak to your contributions to the specialty and Navy.
Have your record reviewed by your Detailer, Specialty Leader, other trusted senior advisor, or by me. Because of promotion board confidentiality, you will never know the reason(s) you did not promote, but most of the time experienced reviewers can come up with an educated guess. They’ll often find things that you were not even aware of, like potentially adverse fitreps, or information missing from your record. My promo prep document will help you as well.
Do everything you can to get “early promote” or “EP” fitreps. This is largely accomplished by continually striving for positions of increased leadership. You need to get a job that has historically led to a promotion while keeping in mind that the new MC career path emphasizes that all need to be operational.
As a LCDR who got passed over for CDR, try to get one of these jobs and excel at it (this list is not exhaustive and these positions are not the only path to CDR, but they are a good start):
- Assistant Program Director
- Division/Department Head
- Fleet Surgical Team (FST) Specialty Staff
- Global Health Engagement (GHE) Staff Officer
- Group/Senior Flight Surgeon (FS)
- Medical Battalion Specialty Staff
- Medical Executive Committee (MEC) Member
- Regimental Surgeon
- Senior Undersea Medical Officer (UMO)
- Ship or Group Senior Medical Officer (SMO)
- SMO/Medical Director
If you are a CDR who got passed over for CAPT, try to get one of these jobs and excel at it:
- Assistant Specialty Leader or Specialty Leader
- Chief Medical Officer (CMO)
- Director/Large Department Head at a NMRTC/MTF
- Division/Group/Wing Surgeon
- FST Officer-in-Charge (OIC) / CATF Surgeon
- GHE, Headquarters, or Navy Personnel Command (PERS) Staff
- Group UMO
- LHA/LHD/CVN SMO
- MEC Chair
- OIC
- Program Director
- Senior GHE Billet
Meet with your chain-of-command. After you’ve been passed over is not the time to be passive. You need to sit down with your leadership and get an honest assessment from them of how you’re doing and what they would recommend continuing to advance your career. You may not like what you hear, but it is better to find out early if they don’t think you’re doing a good job or that you are unlikely to break out on your fitreps. That way you can try and put yourself in a better situation by changing commands.
Things You Should Not Do
In addition to the above list of things you should do, there are a few things you should not do:
- Do not lie in your letter to the board. In other words, don’t tell them you want to do Executive Medicine if you don’t really want to. Your record reads like a book, and if it tells a story that is contrary to what your letter says, this is unlikely to help you and may hurt you.
- Do not send long correspondence. Promotion boards have to read everything sent to them, and a long letter may not be appreciated. Keep it brief and to the point.
- Do not ask your current CO to write you a letter to the board if they’ve done an observed fitrep on you. His or her opinion about you should be reflected on that fitrep, so they don’t need to write you a letter. If they’ve never given you an observed fitrep or there is some new information not reflected on prior fitreps, they could either write you a letter or give you a special fitrep. Ultimately it is up to them whether they do either of these or none.
- Do not discuss anything adverse unless you want the board to notice and discuss it. This issue comes up frequently and people will ask me for advice, but ultimately it is up to the individual officer. The one thing I can guarantee is that if you send a letter to the board and discuss something adverse, they will notice it because they will read your letter! If you think there is a chance the adverse matter will get overlooked, it is probably better not to mention it and keep your fingers crossed.
Never Stop Trying
Those are my tips for those who find themselves above zone. Most importantly, if you want to promote, NEVER STOP TRYING. You can usually stay in as a LCDR for 20 years, and I personally know of people who got promoted their 9th look!
Basic FY22 O6 Promotion Board Stats
You can see all the basic stats for the promotion board here:
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 