Throwback Thursday Classic Post – CV, Military Bio, and Letter of Intent Templates
Every nominative position requires you to submit a CV, military bio, and letter of intent (LOI), so I always have these documents ready. People are always e-mailing me and asking for templates, so here are some Word documents you can use as you see fit. I’ll also put them in the Useful Documents page.
For CVs there are many, many acceptable formats. Here is my personal CV:
Here is my military bio:
CAPT Schofer Military Bio – 5 MAY 2020
Here is an old LOI I’ve used:
Here is a LOI template created by CDR Melissa Austin when she was an EA:
Here are the BUMED templates if you want a slightly different flavor:
Call for 2020 Female Physician Leadership Award Nominations
Background
This is the official call for nominations for the 2020 MHS Female Physician Leadership Award. Awards will be given to one Navy junior leader (O-3/O-4) and one Navy senior leader (O-5/O-6). Award criteria and instructions are provided in this document.
A complete package consists of a Nomination Form, Summary CV, and Command Endorsement. The committee requests that packages be submitted in one consolidated PDF format with the following standardized naming:
“Last Name First Initial_Service_Jr or Sr_FPL_20”
Examples:
DoeJ_Navy_Jr_FPL_20
DoeJ_Navy_Sr_FPL_20
The suspense for packages to be submitted is COB 31 July 2020 (1600 EST). Packages must be vetted and Navy nominees endorsed by the Navy SG for submission to the MHS committee, so late packages will not be considered.
Packages should be sent to the NAVY POC:
LCDR Jennifer K. Engkulawy (contact is in the global)
PLEASE DO NOT SEND PACKAGES DIRECTLY TO THE MHS POC.
Please disseminate this widely through command and functional channels.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to recognize your outstanding female physicians!
Navy Times – Selection Boards to Resume in July, Navy Says
I had previously announced this, but here is an article about it as well:
Opportunities to Go Operational with Flight Surgery or Undersea Medicine
The missing piece in people’s records, and an increased focus in Navy Medicine, is often operational experience. Residency trained physicians DO NOT need to apply through the GME Selection Board to join the ranks of Flight Surgery or Undersea Medicine. Here are messages from those Specialty Leaders that tell people how to inquire about opportunities…
Undersea Medicine
Colleagues,
The Undersea Medical Community has over 100 billets. Approximately 1/3 of the billets turnover every year. In addition to the billets for Lieutenants, there are many opportunities for Lieutenant Commanders, Commanders and Captains. There are billets with operational units, at research commands, and in BSO-18 facilities; CONUS and overseas.
If you are interested in an experience that is truly unique to Navy Medicine, please contact the Undersea Medicine
Specialty Leader.
V/R
James J. Mucciarone, MD, CPE
CAPT, MC, USN
Undersea Medicine Specialty Leader
james dot mucciarone < at > navy dot mil
Flight Surgery
For those individuals with previous experience as a Flight Surgeon, there are opportunities to return to the Fleet in an operational capacity. Job opportunities for senior officer’s with the USMC as a MAG Surgeon will be available and unaccompanied overseas tours typically come up yearly. Positions as a SMO on an aircraft carrier are possible on a case by case basis for non-Aerospace trained physicians who meet requirements
For those who have not been a Flight Surgeon, the training program is still open to those who physically qualify. Flight Surgery training in Pensacola for 6 months would be followed by a Fleet tour with the USMC or Navy. More information can be found on the NMOTC Website:
https://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmotc/nami/academics/Pages/FlightSurgeon.aspx
Please contact me if you have any questions.
CDR Robert J. Krause, MD, MPH, CIME
Specialty Leader – Aerospace Medicine and Flight Surgery
SMO < at > CVN74 dot navy dot mil
OB/GYN Virtual Town Hall for GME Applicants – Take 2 on 22 MAY at 1600 EST
TO: Prospective 3rd and 4th year Navy OB/GYN USUHS and HPSP Students
FROM: CDR Shannon Lamb
RE: Town Hall May 15, 2020
Students:
Unfortunately the platform supporting our town all this Friday was down and we were all unable to dial in to the meeting. I have rescheduled the new town hall on a new platform, on Friday May 22 at 1600 Eastern Standard Time (instead of 1700).
The new dial in information is:
Web Conf URL: https://conference.apps.mil/webconf/uh0ny734g1hp4dsyhfc4bgkozjfrlqsl
Web Conf Dial In Number: 410-874-6300 or DSN: 312-874-6300
Web Conf PIN: 815327185
Feel free to email me at Shannon dot V dot Lamb dot mil at mail dot mil with advance questions. Let’s try this again! I apologize for the inconvenience and I am looking forward to speaking with you all.
VR
CDR Lamb
2020 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 FY21 O6 convening order 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.
- 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
- 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!
Academic Year 2020-21 Naval War College Fleet Seminar Program (JPME I)
Here’s the NAVADMIN for the Fleet Seminar Program discussed in our JPME I primer. Remember that there is an increased focus on education on fitreps:
UNCLASSIFIED//
ROUTINE
R 151257Z MAY 20 MID510001188452U
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC
TO NAVADMIN
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC
BT
UNCLAS
NAVADMIN 141/20
PASS TO OFFICE CODES:
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N7//
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N7//
MSGID/NAVADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N7/MAY//
SUBJ/ACADEMIC YEAR 2020-2021 NAVAL WAR COLLEGE FLEET SEMINAR PROGRAM//
RMKS/1. This NAVADMIN announces the Naval War College (NWC) Fleet Seminar
Program (FSP) which offers intermediate level Joint Professional Military
Education (JPME-I) through a set of three courses: Strategy and War (S and
W), Theater Security Decision Making (TSDM), Joint Maritime Operations (JMO),
offered at multiple locations. Each course normally requires one academic
year to complete, which runs from September through the following May. All
three courses are not offered simultaneously at all locations.
There is no tuition fee and course materials are provided on a loan basis at
no cost to the students.
2. Background:
a. The NWC FSP will be offered in nineteen regional locations in the
United States for academic year 2020-2021. Planned locations and courses
are:
(1) Annapolis, MD (S and W, TSDM and JMO)
(2) Dahlgren, VA (JMO)
(3) Everett, WA (S and W)
(4) Fort Worth, TX (S and W)
(5) Great Lakes, IL (TSDM)
(6) Jacksonville, FL (TSDM and JMO)
(7) Kitsap, WA (TSDM)
(8) Mayport, FL (S and W)
(9) Millington, TN (S and W)
(10) New Orleans, LA (JMO)
(11) Newport, RI (S and W, TSDM and JMO)
(12) Norfolk, VA (S and W, TSDM and JMO)
(13) Patuxent River, MD (TSDM)
(14) Pearl Harbor, HI (S and W, TSDM and JMO)
(15) Pensacola, FL (Whiting Field) (TSDM and JMO)
(16) Port Hueneme, CA (TSDM)
(17) San Diego, CA (S and W, TSDM and JMO)
(18) Washington, DC (S and W, TSDM and JMO)
(19) Whidbey Island, WA (JMO)
b. FSP courses are similar in content and delivery methodology to the
intermediate level program of study offered by the resident College of Naval
Command and Staff in Newport, RI. Seminars for each course meet once a week
in the evening for approximately 34 weeks, commencing in early September 2020
and ending in May 2021. Successful completion of all three courses results in
the award of a College of Naval Command and Staff diploma, as well as credit
for JPME-I. The FSP seminars at all locations are conducted in-step with
each other so it is possible for a student who is transferring to or assigned
temporary additional duty at another seminar location to attend class at that
location.
3. Criteria:
a. NWC accepts program applications from commissioned officers (active
and reserve) and civilian employees of the federal government, subject to the
following eligibility requirements:
(1) Members of the sea services (Navy, Marine Corps and Coast
Guard) in the paygrade of O-3 or above, while officers from the other
services must be in the paygrade of O-4 or above. Civilian employees of the
federal government in the grade of GS-11 and above, or equivalent, are also
eligible for enrollment.
(2) All applicants must have previously earned at least a
baccalaureate degree.
b. Qualified individuals currently stationed in areas listed in
paragraph two, or those who expect transfer to those sites prior to
1 September 2020 are encouraged to apply.
4. Application Process:
a. More information is available and applications must be submitted at
the NWC College of Distance Education FSP website at
https://www.mnp.navy.mil/group/training-education-qualifications (NWC
Academic Programs link). The application period is currently open and will
remain open until 14 June 2020.
5. Selection Notifications:
a. NWC will make enrollment selections and accepted applicants will be
advised of their enrollment selection status via email.
6. Points of Contact:
a. Points of contact are Ms. Stephanie Accaputo who can be reached at
(401) 841-7677/DSN 841 or via email at fsp(at)usnwc.edu, Ms.
Kelly Folger who can be reached at (401) 841-6520/DSN 841 or via email at
fsp(at)usnwc.edu and Professor Ronald Oard who can be reached via email at
oardr(at)usnwc.edu.
7. Request widest dissemination of the above information. Regional
coordinators at the sites listed in paragraph two are requested to pass this
information to all Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard units and
all reserve units located within safe driving distance of an FSP site.
8. This message will remain in effect until superseded or 14 June 2020,
whichever occurs first.
9. Released by Vice Admiral S. B. Munsch, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations
for Warfighting Development (N7)//
BT
#0001
NNNN
UNCLASSIFIED//
MOAA – Short- and Long-Term Improvements in Store for PCS Moves
Here’s a link to this article:
Promotion Boards Restarting – O4/O5 Combined Board on 6 JUL
A combined Staff Corps O4/O5 board will begin 6 JUL 2020. The original deadlines for letters to the board remain the same, so you can’t send updated letters. In addition, the records used at the board will be as of the date the board was originally scheduled.
UNCLASSIFIED//
ROUTINE
R 152131Z MAY 20 MID110000692205U
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC
TO NAVADMIN
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC
BT
UNCLAS
NAVADMIN 144/20
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/MAY//
SUBJ/RECOMMENCEMENT OF SELECTION BOARDS AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF REVISED
SCHEDULE//
REF/A/NAVADMIN/OPNAV/182232ZMAR20//
REF/B/NAVADMIN/OPNAV/271705ZAPR20//
REF/C/NAVADMIN/OPNAV/301629ZOCT19//
REF/D/NAVADMIN/OPNAV/021320ZDEC19//
REF/E/NAVADMIN/OPNAV/041542ZFEB20//
REF/F/NAVADMIN/OPNAV/101613ZDEC19//
REF/G/NAVADMIN/OPNAV/101855ZDEC19//
REF/H/NAVADMIN/OPNAV/231939ZDEC19//
REF/I/NAVADMIN/OPNAV/111355ZMAR20//
NARR/REF A IS NAVADMIN 072/20, POSTPONEMENT OF SELECTION BOARD SCHEDULE.
REF B IS NAVADMIN 121/20, SUPPLEMENTAL NUMBER TWO FOR E4 THROUGH E7 FEBRUARY
2020 (CYCLE 106) SELECTIVE RESERVE AND MARCH
2020 (CYCLE 247) E4 THROUGH E6 ACTIVE-DUTY, FULL-TIME SUPPORT AND CANVASSER
RECRUITER NAVY-WIDE ADVANCEMENT EXAMINATIONS.
REF C IS NAVADMIN 245/19, FY-21 NAVY ACTIVE-DUTY AND RESERVE E9, E8 AND E7
SELECTION BOARD MEMBERSHIP NOMINATIONS (CORRECTED COPY).
REF D IS NAVADMIN 271/19, FY-21 ACTIVE DUTY AND RESERVE ENLISTED ADVANCEMENT
SELECTION BOARDS FOR MASTER CHIEF AND SENIOR CHIEF PETTY OFFICER.
REF E IS NAVADMIN 031/20, FY-21 NAVY ACTIVE-DUTY AND RESERVE ENLISTED
ADVANCEMENT SELECTION BOARDS FOR CHIEF PETTY OFFICER.
REF F IS NAVADMIN 286 /19, NOTICE OF CONVENING FY-21 ACTIVE-DUTY NAVY
PROMOTION SELECTION BOARDS (CORRECTED COPY).
REF G IS NAVADMIN 287/19, NOTICE OF CONVENING FY-21 ACTIVE-DUTY NAVY OFFICER
CONTINUATION SELECTION BOARDS AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF CONTINUATION POLICY.
REF H IS NAVADMIN 305/19, NOTICE OF CONVENING FY-21 NAVY RESERVE PROMOTION
SELECTION BOARDS.
REF I IS NAVADMIN 061/20, MODIFICATION TO NOTICE OF CONVENING FY-21 ACTIVE-
DUTY OFFICER CONTINUATION SELECTION BOARDS AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF CONTINUATION
POLICY.//
RMKS/1. This NAVADMIN announces the recommencement of promotion,
advancement, continuation, milestone and other administrative selection
boards that were postponed in line with reference (a) and will be convened at
Navy Personnel Command (NPC). After pausing administrative and statutory
promotion boards to assess conditions and properly incorporate risk
mitigation measures, we plan to recommence convening of selection boards at
NPC in Millington, TN on 1 July with out-of-area participants. In the
interim, we have completed some smaller administrative boards via virtual
means and in some cases using local area membership, and will continue to do
so where appropriate. The revised schedule for officer promotion and
associated continuation selection boards and enlisted advancement selection
boards is provided below. The schedule for community milestone and other
administrative selection boards to be convened at NPC is available at
https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-
npc/boards/selectionboardsupport/Pages/FY21-Board-Schedule.aspx.
Some communities will execute their milestone and other administrative
selection boards by virtual means or at locations other than NPC. Refer to
community announcements on your applicable community section of the NPC
website at https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/Pages/default.aspx or
contact your detailer for specific information concerning these boards.
2. In line with reference (a), eligibility will be as of the original board
convening date. Official Military Personnel Files for use during the boards
are captured as of the original board convening date. Deadlines for
correspondence to a board remain the same as originally set with the
exception of the Reserve E-7 Board, which now has a deadline of 18 May 2020
per reference (b). The Reserve E-7 Board correspondence deadline was
extended to compensate for delays in the Reserve E-7 eligibility. In order
to maintain a fair and impartial balance across the fleet, the remaining
correspondence deadlines remain the same. Should Service Member eligibility
remain unclear, submit correspondence regardless.
3. The health, safety and well-being of those supporting the selection board
mission is paramount in a COVID-19 informed environment and precautions to
protect all participants will be taken. While all the planned COVID-19 risk
mitigation measures are too numerous to detail in this NAVADMIN, collectively
these prudent precautions are critical to the accomplishment of the selection
board mission and apply in lieu of restriction of movement (ROM) protocols
that would otherwise apply for essential travel prior to and following
membership on a selection board. Precautions include, but are not limited
to, the following risk mitigation measures:
a. Minimizing risk to force by combining boards and recycling board
membership across multiple boards to reduce travel requirements.
b. Phased convening of our largest boards to minimize number of board
members within board spaces at any one time.
c. Modifying the boardroom and tank layout to maximize social
distancing.
d. Self-assessment of individual health prior to travel, precautions
during travel such as Service Members sourcing from locations that maximize
the use of direct flights or individual ground transportation (POV or rental)
where practicable, use of face coverings during travel and additional shuttle
service runs with occupancy limits to/from the Memphis International Airport.
e. Revised protocols for entrance into board spaces that include COVID-
19 questionnaires, daily touchless body temperature readings and wristbands
for rapid identification of cleared membership within board spaces.
f. Alternative meal plans, to include furnished breakfast, lunch and
dinner to maximize social distancing and eliminate the need to depart Naval
Support Activity Millington.
g. Additional cleaning services to maintain the highest standards of
cleanliness within the dining facility, conference room (additional dining
area) and all board spaces.
h. Additional personal protective equipment available to board
membership as necessary.
i. Prominently displayed and adequately supplied hand-sanitizer
throughout each board.
4. FY-21 Active-Duty Officer Promotion Selection Boards (PSBs):
The postponed FY-21 PSBs to recommend officers in the Line and Staff Corps
and chief warrant officers on the Active-Duty List (ADL) for permanent
promotion to the grades of commander, lieutenant commander and chief warrant
officer will convene as follows:
a. 6 July 2020 - Staff Corps Commander and Lieutenant Commander
b. 13 July 2020 - Unrestricted/Restricted Line Lieutenant Commander
c. 1 September 2020 - Chief Warrant Officer 5/4/3
5. FY-21 Active-Duty Officer Continuation Selection Boards will convene as
follows:
a. Active-Duty Lieutenant Commander Staff Corps Continuation Selection
Board will follow the Active-Duty Commander Staff Corps Promotion Selection
Board.
b. Active-Duty Lieutenant Staff Corps Continuation Selection Board for
eligible competitive categories will follow the Active- Duty Lieutenant
Commander Staff Corps Promotion Selection Board.
c. Active-Duty Lieutenant Line Continuation Selection Board for eligible
competitive categories with applicable additional qualification designators
will follow the Active-Duty Lieutenant Commander Promotion Selection Board.
d. The Active-Duty CWO4/CWO3/CWO2 Continuation Selection Boards will
follow the Active-Duty CWO5/CWO4/CWO3 Promotion Selection Boards.
e. Due to the delay in promotion boards, for those officers whose
statutory retirement date falls prior to the expected announcement of officer
promotion results, guidance will be provided in separate correspondence.
6. FY-21 Reserve/Full Time Support (FTS) PSBs: The postponed FY-21 PSBs to
recommend reserve officers in the Line and Staff Corps and chief warrant
officers on the Reserve Active-Status List (RASL) for permanent or temporary
promotion to the grades of lieutenant commander and chief warrant officer
will convene as follows:
a. 1 July 2020 - Chief Warrant Officer 5/4/3
b. 20 July 2020 - Unrestricted/Restricted Line Lieutenant Commander
c. 31 August 2020 - Staff Corps Lieutenant Commander
7. FY-21 Enlisted Advancement Selection Boards: The postponed FY-
21 advancement selection boards will convene as follows:
a. Active-Duty E-9 and E-8 - Conducted in phases as follows:
(1) Phase 1: 27 July 4 August 2020 (Members travel on 26 July
2020).
Ratings considered: EM, MM, HT, DC, EN, GS, MR, ET, FC, FCA, GM,
IC, STG, YN, YNS, MC, LN, CMDCM, PS, NCC, NCR and MU.
(2) Phase 2: 4 August 14 August 2020 (Service Members travel on 3
August 2020).
Ratings considered: CTI, CTM, CTR, CTT, AG, IS, IT, SO, SB, ND,
EOD, MA, CE, CU, CM, EQ, UT, EMN, ETN, MMN, ETR, ETV, FT, MMA, TM, MT, STS
and ITS.
(3) Phase 3: 14 August 29 August 2020 (Service Members travel on 13
August 2020).
Ratings considered: HM, RP, CS, CSS, LS, LSS, RS, ABE, ABF, ABH,
AC, AO, AS, AZ, AD, AM, PR, BM, MN, OS, QM, AE, AT, AWR, AWS, AWO, AWV and
AWF.
b. Reserve and Full-Time Support (FTS) E-7 8 September 2020 (single
phase).
c. Active-Duty E-7 - Conducted in three phases as follows:
(1) Phase 1: 5 October 13 October 2020 (Service Members travel on 4
October 2020).
Ratings considered: EM, MM, HT, DC, EN, GSE, GSM, MR, BU, CE,
CM, EA, EO, SW, UT, MU, MC, RP, BM, MN, OS, QM, AE, AT, ET, IC and STG.
(2) Phase 2: 13 October 24 October 2020 (Service Members travel on
12 October 2020).
Ratings considered: ETR, ETV, FT, ITS, MT, MMA, STS, TM, CTI,
CTM, CTN, CTR, CTT, NC, PS, YN, YNS, FC, FCA, GM, AC, AS, AWF, AWO, AWR, AWS,
AWV, AZ, ABE, ABF, ABH and AO.
(3) Phase 3: 24 October 7 November 2020 (Service Members travel on
23 October 2020).
Ratings considered: EMN, ETN, MMN, AG, IS, IT, HM, AD, AM, AME,
PR, CS, CSS, LS, LSS, RS, EOD, LN, MA, ND, SB and SO.
8. Reference (c) announced the solicitation of enlisted selection board
participants (Service Members and recorders) and provided eligibility
criteria for serving. The criteria of reference (c) continue to apply, but
as the board dates have changed, the previously promulgated due dates for
receipt of Service Member and recorder applications are no longer applicable.
Sailors meeting the eligibility criteria and availability to serve as members
or recorders for a board are strongly encouraged to submit applications as
soon as practicable. Board Presidents, Senior Enlisted Advisors, recorders
and other specified board members will comprise a core group whose services
will span the entire duration of a board. The service of other board members
will be required only for particular phase(s) of a board based on rating
expertise and availability.
Refer to paragraph 7 above for the dates of the phases in which the various
ratings will be considered. Applicants must clearly state their availability
in the application. Details for application submission are provided in
reference (c).
9. Point of contact information for submitting enlisted advancement
selection board nominations is as follows:
a. Mr. Bryan Gillentine at (901) 874-3223 / DSN 882.
b. Dr. Ruby Snowden at (901) 874-2209 / DSN 882.
c. Email: PERS-805.fct(at)navy.mil.
d. General Board inquiries: MyNavy Career Center (MNCC) at
(833) 330-6622 / askmncc(at)navy.mil.
10. Navy leadership is committed to ensuring no Sailor is disadvantaged by
the delay in any selection board convening or during the consideration of the
record of any eligible Sailor by a board. Although review, approval and
Senate confirmation (where applicable) of board results cannot occur this
year with traditional timing, selectees for promotion or advancement can
expect to be assigned the original date of rank and receive any associated
back pay and allowances warranted. Enlisted advancement board results are
expected to be approved and announced within 30 days after a board adjourns.
Due to the additional reviews required following officer promotion boards,
results are expected to be approved and announced by ALNAV approximately 100
days after a board adjourns. Efforts will be made to accelerate these
processes. Subsequent to officer promotion board approval and ALNAV release,
Senate confirmation is required prior to promotion of active-duty commanders
and lieutenant commanders. Promotion authorizations and associated dates of
rank will be announced via the existing monthly promotion NAVADMIN process.
11. Released by Vice Admiral John B. Nowell, Jr, N1.//
BT
#0001
NNNN
UNCLASSIFIED//
Do You Need a Financial Advisor?
Not everyone feels comfortable managing their own finances, so I’d like to discuss whether to get help planning your personal finances and how to select an advisor if you need one.
Do You Need Financial Advice?
It isn’t hard to manage most of your financial life if you are willing to learn a little, spend a small amount of time on your finances, and get help only when you need it. The areas you’ll need to address include creating and executing an investment plan, managing your assets, maximizing tax-efficiency, tax preparation, insurance, estate planning, asset protection, and other areas depending on your situation.
This list can be daunting to many, and most physicians are busy and would prefer if someone did this for them or helped them out significantly. If you’re in this camp, you likely need financial advice. In addition, some people want access to investments that they can’t get on their own like hedge or venture capital funds. I’m not one of these people, but if you are you’ll need an advisor.
How Do You Select an Advisor?
There are a number of important factors to consider when selecting a financial advisor. These include:
- How are they paid?
You want a “fee-only” advisor who is going to be paid a flat fee, hourly fee, or percentage of assets under management. You want to avoid any advisor who is compensated with commissions on trades or investments they sell you. This will ensure that their incentives are aligned with yours.
- How much are they paid?
Whether you are paying a flat fee, hourly rate, or percentage of assets, you should be able to get an advisor for under $5000/year. The industry standard for a percentage of assets fee is 1% of assets under management, but you should be able to find this service for significantly less. Vanguard’s asset management service is 0.3%, for example, as are many of the “robo-advisers” I’ll discuss at the end of this article. Also, make sure he/she discloses any additional fees you will have to pay.
- What are their credentials?
There are a lot of different credentials that financial advisors can have, and many of them are nearly meaningless, like a physician having a BLS card. The ones that represent significant training and education include Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP), or Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC). If they are an insurance agent, Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) is a quality credential. If they have a MBA, CPA, or JD, that can be a plus as well. The rest of the credentials you’ll see mean little.
- What services do they offer?
As discussed in the 2nd paragraph, there are a lot of services you may want or need. Make sure that your advisor either provides the ones you want or has someone who can. Also make sure it is clear which of these services your fee includes and which it does not.
- How much experience do they have?
We’ve all been medical students and residents, so we’ve all been inexperienced professionals. Looking over our shoulders most of the time, however, was a supervisor with experience. Make sure your advisor has experience, specifically with physicians. We have unique problems like sizeable student loans and professional liability issues that they should be familiar with.
- What is their investment philosophy and is it compatible with yours?
Make sure that they can explain their financial philosophy to you in a manner that makes you comfortable and that you can comprehend. You don’t want to hire an advisor who talks over your head. Just like a doctor who avoids using complex medical jargon when talking to his/her patients, an effective financial advisor should be able to make complex subjects understandable for clients. Also, make sure their investment philosophy is compatible with yours. If you are a believer in passive index investing, you don’t want to hire an advisor who believes primarily in active management.
Are There Other Options?
“Robo-advisors” are on-line tools that have lower fees than a financial advisor but less of that personal touch. Betterment.com or Wealthfront.com are two of the larger companies, but there are others as well. While I have never used these services, I think they are worth considering when you are examining all of your options for obtaining financial advice, especially because the price is right.
What Do I Do?
As someone who writes financial articles, I have a personal interest in this, stay reasonably up-to-date on the latest developments, and do most of my own financial management. When I need help or feel like I’m in over my head, I have access to CFPs from Vanguard, a CPA, and an estate-planning attorney that I can call in a pinch.
If you want an advisor, though, I’d go to Vanguard or the White Coat Investor’s list of advisors.
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 