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AMSUS Call for Abstracts and Reviewers
Call for Abstracts
The 126th Annual AMSUS meeting will be held in the Washington, D.C. area 28 November-1 December, 2017. The call for abstracts is in full swing and we need some of your motivated officers to step up and present on the impressive work they are doing at a variety of settings. The lecture submissions are due on 31 May 2017 and the poster session presentations are due on 1 September 2017. Areas of interest include:
- Battlefront Care
- Combat support
- Humanitarian Missions
- Disaster response
- Global Health Operations
- Patient movement
- Homefront Care
- Definitive treatment
- Rehabilitation
- Recovery
- Return to a new normal for both patient and family
- Traumatic injuries
- Psychological Status/PTSD/TBI
- Disease and Population Health
- Preparedness & Operational Issues
- High Reliability Organizations
- Patient Satisfaction
- Value based care
Please encourage your members to consider presenting at this year’s meeting here in Washington D.C. For more information go to the AMSUS website 2017 Call for Abstracts page or check out the AMSUS Meeting Announcement.
Call for Reviewers
Do you have members who are looking for opportunities for a collateral duty/volunteerism, or to earn CME? The 2017, 126th Annual AMSUS Meeting extends this Call for Volunteer Reviewers to help select presentations for
the 2017 CE/CME sessions. The committee will include a variety of professionals across disciplines including physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, psychologists, pharmacists, dentists, dieticians, and medical administrators.
http://www.amsusmeetings.org/2017-call-reviewers/
Each reviewer will be responsible for reading an assigned set of abstracts, completing an online score sheet and submitting recommendations. Approximately 8 hours of review and online reporting will be required. As an online review process, you will have access at your convenience. Reviewers will be acknowledged in the Continuing Education print material, and AMSUS web site as part of the organizing committee for the 2017 AMSUS Annual Meeting. A certificate of participation as a reviewer is available upon request. The review process will begin 5 June 2017 and be completed no later than 10 July. Conference attendance is not required to volunteer as a reviewer.
To apply as a reviewer, please submit a CV, with contact information, by email to Lori.Lawrence < at > amsus.org no later than 5 May 2017. Include the following:
- Name
- Identify your professional category to review
- Email and phone number
- List of Medical Credentials
- CV
Updated BUMED Conference Approval Process
BLUF: The new Conference Approval Guidance is published on the conference approval website (CAC protected – you need to pick the e-mail certificate to logon). With the exception of conferences >$100K and those listed as “requiring approval” on the BUMED website, approval authority for conference attendance is delegated to your Regional Commander or MTF Commanding Officer via local policy. In other words, for most conferences except the really large ones you’ll just route a travel request via DTS like any other trip.
The new memo/guidance is here:
Updated Navy Medicine Conference Guidance – 21 APR 2017
The text from the website is here:
NAVY MEDICINE CONFERENCE INFORMATION AND POLICY
DoD has adopted a very expansive definition of “conference.” Conference is defined as “a meeting, retreat, seminar, symposium, or event that involves attendee travel.” Events within the local duty station that do not require attendee travel (i.e. local conferences) may also qualify as conferences for the purposes of this guidance, if they involve: a commercial venue, multiple agencies and/or non-government participation, formal registration, have scheduled speakers, discussion panels, include ceremonies, and/or feature social events.
**The Navy Medicine Conference Information page is the source for all updates regarding conference policies, instructions, and guidance**
Conference Attendance
Navy Medicine (BSO-18) personnel desiring to attend a conference must review the list of Conferences Requiring BUMED Approval, prior to initiating a travel request. If the conference is on the list, the attendee is required to contact their Specialty Leader and/or the conference submission point of contact to request a quota. If the conference is not on the BUMED Approval Required Conference List, please review guidance under Approved Conferences for requests under $100,000.
*Note: If a conference is not on the list, but you expect it to exceed $100K, please contact the BUMED Conference Approval office.* (usn.ncr.bumedfchva.mbx.bumed-conference-approval@mail.mil)
Non BSO-18 personnel (i.e., Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, etc.) are not subject to the requirements of the Navy Medicine conference approval process and should seek funding through their designated funding authority. However, if receiving funding from a BSO-18 entity (i.e., Navy Medicine Professional Development Center), personnel are subject to the requirements of this policy.
Conference Request Deadlines
- Non-DoD Hosted Conferences:
- For conferences with a total cost less than $100,000, approval is delegated to the attendee’s Echelon III Commander or Echelon IV Commanding Officer. Personnel should follow local travel policy guidelines and/or procedures.
- For conferences with a total cost of $100,000-$500,000, Chief, BUMED is the final approval authority. All requests must be submitted to the BUMED Conference Approval Office no later than (90) days prior to the conference start date.
- For conferences with a total cost greater than $500,000, SECNAV is the final approval authority. All requests must be submitted to the BUMED Conference Approval Office no later than (180) days prior to the conference start date.
- DoD/DON Hosted Conferences:
- All requests to host a conference must be submitted to BUMED (180) days prior to the proposed conference start date. Chief, BUMED is the approval authority for hosted conferences under $500,000. SECNAV is the approval authority for hosted conferences over $500,000.
Approved Conferences
- For requests under $100,000:
- Approval authority is delegated to the attendee’s Echelon III Commander or Echelon IV Commanding Officer.
- Approvals should be managed like a TDY/TAD and include approved travel orders. Requests must be reviewed by the servicing legal office for concurrence. Include the updated Navy Medicine Travel Mission Criticality Attestation form (available in the Policy & Guidelines section of this page), signed by the traveler and designated approval authority.
- For requests $100,000-$500,000:
- Once a conference has received BUMED approval, the approved attendee roster is the only list of personnel authorized to attend a conference. In order to initiate orders, personnel are required to submit the approved attendee roster, the BUMED approval letter, and the updated Navy Medicine Travel Mission Criticality Attestation form to their travel coordinator.
- For requests over $500,000:
- Once a conference has received SECNAV approval, the approved attendee roster is the only list of personnel authorized to attend a conference. In order to initiate orders, personnel are required to submit the approved attendee roster, the SECNAV approval letter, and the Navy Medicine Travel Mission Criticality Attestation form to their travel coordinator.
Approved requests are funded by the command of each requesting attendee or by the command requesting to host a conference. All costs must be paid from an activity’s existing budget authority.
**NOTE: Final approval for attendance is subject to command authorization based on funding availability and mission criticality.**
Rethinking The United States’ Military Health System
Here is an interesting Health Affairs blog post by the Dean of School of Medicine at USUHS, Dr. Arthur Kellermann:
Personally Procured Moves Article from MilitaryTimes.com
Folks who are limited on their move dates because of the delayed release of PCS orders may want to look into doing a personally procured moved, what used to be called a DITY or Do It Yourself move. Here is an article about how to do them:
Medical Student Mentor Program
Naval Medical Center Portsmouth will be taking the lead on a Navy-wide mentoring program for HPSP and HSCP medical students. They are looking for physicians who would like to mentor young officers, help them transition from the civilian world into active duty, and prepare them for GME applications. Anyone interested should complete this PDF and send it to Mary Jane Slade at NMCP (she’s in the global address book).
NMCP will create teams of at least two physicians with different backgrounds so the group can field a variety of questions. The physician will have to spend an hour or so a month in a group discussion. They have topics and lecture outlines created. They are hoping to launch the program in May 2017.
Military Times Article – 5 Key Points About the Military’s New Blended Retirement System
Here’s the link to an article from Military Times about the new Blended Retirement System:
http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/guest-commentary-military-blended-retirement-west-point
Navy Implements SGLI On-Line
From Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs
MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) – The Navy announced in NAVADMIN 085/17 that Servicemember’s Group Life Insurance (SGLI) will be available online for Sailors to verify, update and change their insurance coverage amount and beneficiaries starting April 6.
To view or change information, Sailors may access SOES through My Navy Portal at https://my.navy.mil, by choosing the milConnect tab and logging into milConnect system. Once logged into milConnect, Sailors select the “SOES” option under the “Benefits” tab and follow the prompts. Users may access milConnect with a Common Access Card (CAC), DFAS (myPay) account, or DS LOGON account.
“Moving from paper to electronic beneficiary forms will provide a faster, easier method for Sailors to make changes to their coverage and beneficiary information,” said Ann Stewart, Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel for Pay and Personnel.
Using SOES, service members may manage coverage amounts and name and update their beneficiaries. Members may also elect coverage for their dependent children and nonmilitary spouses under the Family SGLI program.
The paper form will still be accepted if a change to beneficiaries must be made and the Sailor has no access to internet, but it is recommended that the change be made online at the first available opportunity.
If a married service member declines coverage, elects other than the maximum amount of coverage, or designates beneficiaries other than the spouse or a child of the member, the spouse is automatically notified by an SOES generated notification.
“This change will help Sailors more effectively manage their insurance needs,” said Alan Gorski, acting deputy director, Navy Casualty Office. “We encourage all Sailors to login and make sure that their SGLI information is uptodate to prevent unexpected stress on their loved ones should something happen to them.”
SGLI is a program of low cost group life insurance for service members on active duty, ready reservists, members of the National Guard, members of the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Public Health Service, cadets and midshipmen of the four service academies and members of the Reserve Officer Training Corps. SGLI coverage is available in increments of $50,000 to a maximum of $400,000. SGLI premiums are currently $.065 per $1,000 of insurance, regardless of the member’s age.
For more information about SOES visit: www.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect. For more news from Navy Personnel Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/npc/.
Navy Global Health Specialist Program
Here is a message from the Director, Office of Global Health Engagement (M96). Note that there are a number of documents at the end of the message:
It is with great pleasure that I announce the establishment of the Navy Global Health Specialist Program (GHSP) signed by VADM Faison on 17 February 2017. Over the years so many have supported these efforts and have been committed to making this very moment come to fruition, and for that I live eternally in the “Red”.
As you are aware, the Services man, train, and equip, and through the GHSP we will do just that. As a community, GHE doesn’t own planes, trains, boats or automobiles per se, but we have the most valuable asset of all, and that is you. We are ensuring we have the most highly trained personnel to man the most critical billets, engagements or missions wherever the need arises. As you may notice I say “we” in much of my writing because I am well aware that all of our triumphs are the result of a collective effort and are truly a shared experience, and this achievement is no different.
The Navy Medicine seeks to create a strong community, a collective, a family of likeminded professionals who are on the front lines of positive change, creating stability and security for the U.S. and our allies. To this end, we have established an Education & Training (E&T)/Professional Development section as a part of the GHSP. This section will support us in obtaining continuing education and professional development opportunities from both civilian and military organizations to ensure we remain on the cutting edge of geopolitical and economic issues that impact our mission and the work we do. This section will also support personnel who wish to join the community, as well as those who wish to develop and advance their skills (see March GHE Professional Development Update).
I understand GHE is not for everyone, but to those few who see challenges as an adventure and a way of life, who understand diplomacy isn’t just a 9-5 job, that what you say and how you say it can determine our success or failure and that the world’s toughest environments may be the gateway to peace and stability, I say apply, welcome aboard and let the journey begin.
The official GHS AQD and Program application will be released on 15 April 2017, and we are accepting applications in phases (see phases below). All applicants who meet the requirements will be awarded the GHS AQD and stratified into GHS Associate or Professional eligible.
We will be hosting four 30 min information calls in April and again in May to provide guidance and answer questions for the application process. If you wish to participate in one of these calls, please email us at usn.ncr.bumedfchva.mbx.ghe-office@mail.mil and we will placed you on the GHE Community distribution email list to provide you call in details. When you email, please place in the subject line, “GHE Distro List” and in the body of the email provide your name, rank, corp, current command, position, phone contact, and an alternative email (optional).
I am truly excited to be a part of the world’s greatest Navy, and I ask each of you to stay with us and as always, stay ENGAGED!
Phase 1: 1 – 31 May for past and current members on the GHEO billet files, Fleet, and MARFORS.
Phase 2: 1 - 30 June for officers currently posted in the research, public health, Hospital Ships, and COCOM communities
Phase 3: 15 July and onward are general acceptances
Carlos D. Williams, MD, MPH, MBA
(https://www.milsuite.mil/book/groups/navyglobalhealthengagement)
GHE Community Core Competencies Info Sheet
GHE Professional Development Update March 2017
How to Resign Worry Free
Recently Navy Personnel Command (PERS) has started enforcing some policies that had largely been ignored, and I’ve heard a few horror stories from people trying to resign from the Navy. With that in mind, here is how you can resign without encountering problems. Assuming that you’ve already decided to resign, here are the steps you need to take to make sure the ride is not a bumpy one.
STEP 1 – Confirm Your Obligated Service Date
There’s nothing like thinking you are eligible to get out only to find out that you are not. Your Detailer is your POC to figure out when you are eligible to resign.
STEP 2 – Negotiate Your Date of Resignation and Terminal Leave With Your Command
When you submit a resignation request to PERS, you specify the month you want to resign. The specific date and how much leave you get is between you and your command, not PERS. You need to approach your chain of command about the specific date you want to resign and how much leave they’ll give you.
STEP 3 – Submit Your Paperwork 9-12 Months Ahead of Your Desired Month of Resignation
This has always been the required timeline, but last minute requests were accommodated. Not anymore! PERS has recently reminded people of this timeline and widely advertised that any requests received less than 6 months before the desired resignation date will be returned to the officer and not processed. Because of this, you need to make your decision and then stick to the 9-12 month timeline. In addition, if you get within 6 months of your projected rotation date (PRD) and have not notified your Detailer of your intention to resign, he/she can write you orders whether you want to stay in or not! Don’t tempt the Detailer.
If you are deploying and you’ll be gone during this timeframe, you need to get the paperwork ready before you leave. You can’t submit a request more than 12 months early, but you can certainly have it ready to go so that you submit it when you hit the 9-12 month window.
STEP 4 – Track the Progress of Your Request Weekly
The Navy is filled with officers who did not track the progress of their request and paid the price. Because your request has to go to PERS with the endorsement of your CO, it needs to go various places at your command before it is submitted. Realize that each stop in the chain of command is a potential place for it to get lost.
STEP 5 – Make Sure Your Request is Submitted to PERS
Most officers will have a personnel department of some kind that will submit their request for them, but just in case you don’t, here are the official instructions for how to submit the request from the PERS resignation website:
“Resignation requests can be mailed to PERS-834F to the address listed below, by fax, or sent in PDF format by email to PERS-834F@navy.mil. Email submissions are highly recommended and preferred. All requests must be submitted 9-12 months prior to the desired separation date.”
Address/Fax (Please adhere to PII requirements when sending documentation):
COMMANDER
NAVY PERSONNEL COMMAND
PERS-834F
5720 INTEGRITY DRIVE
MILLINGTON TN 38055-8340
PERS-834F fax number: (901) 874-2625
STEP 6 – Make Sure Your Request was Received by PERS
Again, from the PERS website:
“After sending your resignation request to PERS-834F, you and your current Command will receive confirmation via message traffic and BOL that your request has been received for processing. If you do not receive confirmation within 2 WEEKS after your Command has forwarded your request to PERS-834F, please call NPC’s customer service call center, 1-866-827-5672 for routing to PERS-834F.”
STEP 7 – Check to Make Sure There are No Issues Every Few Months
This will probably make the Detailers cringe, but oh well. It is their job to serve as your advocate, and I think you should touch base with them every two months or so until you have released resignation orders in your hand.
That’s it! If you’re looking for templates for your request, you can find them here.
OIC of Medical Readiness Division for Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific – O5/O6
The POC if you are interested in this position is your Specialty Leader or Detailer.
ANTICIPATED FILL: Summer 2017
POSITION TITLE: Officer in Charge (OIC)
INTRODUCTION: The position is graded at the O-6 (Captain) level but is an ideal position for an 0-5 (Commander) desiring to demonstrate leadership abilities worthy of promotion to the 0-6 level. Individuals who fill this position have documented requisite training and experience and have successfully been screened and selected by the Force Surgeon, Naval Surface Forces Pacific. Incumbents are normally assigned for a three (3) year period.
CRITERIA FOR THE POSITION:
- Medical Corps Officer with prior shipboard experience as a Senior Medical Officer (SMO) on an amphibious ship preferably LHD/LHA.
- Surface Warfare Medical Department Officer (SWMDO) qualified
- Minimum rank required 0-5
KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED BY THE POSITION:
- Leadership and management experience in history of assignments that demonstrates readiness for this position.
- Working knowledge of Surface Forces organizational structure, functions, and inter-relations.
- Experienced and knowledgeable on matters of shipboard administration and management of ship medical departments.
- Experience with the Medical Readiness Inspection process and management of equipment and material readiness.
- Familiarity with Navy Medicine’s medical privileging and quality assurance programs.
- Working knowledge of the Independent Duty Corpsman (IDC) program.
- Proven communication (written and verbal) and team-building skills.
- Ability to promote morale and teamwork.
- General knowledge of military and civilian personnel management procedures.
SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:
- The incumbent’s immediate Reporting Senior is the Force Surgeon, Commander Naval Surface Forces Pacific.
- The incumbent exercises complete and independent administrative and managerial control over assigned military and civilian employees assigned to MRD. (NOTE: Performance is evaluated in terms of objectives, methods, and results in meeting organization mission/goals).
- Incumbent is guided in the performance of duties by pertinent laws and regulatory requirements, higher echelon, and local command instructions, guidance and policy statements.
SCOPE AND EFFECT: The activities of this position include evaluation personnel quantity, quality, and assignment priorities in support of health care activities and support services; maintaining facility, personnel, and material readiness; formulation and execution of manpower requirements and budgetary plans; execution of high echelon directives, and development / execution of local directives in support of the organization’s mission; stimulates and coordinates performance improvement activities. Decisions directly impact all staff (military and civilian) personnel assigned.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Leads MRD San Diego in ensuring over 66 ships and units maintain the highest state of medical readiness and that they adhere to prescribed medical standards.
- Oversees the Medical Readiness Inspection (MRI) program for the assigned afloat Medical Departments and units.
- Ensures Medical Departments are materially ready to deploy and notifies Force Surgeon of any equipment discrepancies.
- Provides support, advice and mentorship to 6 junior Medical Officers in their oversight of 66 shipboard IDCs ensuring compliance with Surface Forces policies and procedures.
- Ensures medical privileging and quality assurance programs are adhered to for assigned medical personnel.
- Provides oversight to the 9 Senior Medical Inspector IDCs (SMIs) assigned to MRD; monitors compliance with the IDC program requirements.
- Ensures IDC SMIs complete monthly quality assurance visits to their assigned ships consistent with guiding instructions.
- Assists Force Surgeon in updating instructions as requested. (i) Formulates and submits annual budget for MRD to the Force Surgeon
- Other duties as assigned by the Force Surgeon
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 