education
Navy MWR Digital Library Always Open
WASHINGTON (NNS) — Base libraries may be closed, but the Navy Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Digital Library remains open as the nation and Navy address the ongoing pandemic.
Managed by Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC), the MWR Digital Library offers access to thousands of books and resources for authorized patrons to use for recreational purposes, professional development and academic support.
“The digital library has something for everyone,” said Erika Hoagland, MWR systems librarian for CNIC. “Whether it is picking up a new skill or reinforcing an old one. Finding a new movie to watch. Listening to music and learning the lyrics. Taking up a new language. Thinking about the next step in your career development or losing yourself in a book for a few hours. Our digital library has you covered.”
The digital library, which can be accessed at www.navymwrdigitallibrary.org, is open to Sailors, Reservists, retirees, Navy civilian personnel and their families as well as eligible contractors with MWR privileges. Personnel assigned to the Marine Corps and Coast Guard are able to join.
The MWR Digital Library provides users with more than 30 free online services that cater to all age groups and preferences.
For leisure purposes, try Freegal Music and Kanopy streaming video. Both can be used through apps after registering. Freegal Music has every genre of music. Listeners can download three songs a week and have unlimited, ad-free streaming access. Besides movies and documentaries for adults, Kanopy has a large selection of children’s video, including story time books.
Whether for fun or professional development, OverDrive has nearly 90,000 audiobooks and ebooks, including the CNO Professional Reading Program titles and the latest bestsellers for children, teens and adults. RBdigital has thousands of audiobook titles with no waitlists as well as magazines and Great Courses videos.
For those who require academic support, the MWR Digital Library provides access to Gale, which is an online research and education publishing service. Through September, Gale users have expanded access to thousands of new full-text academic journals. The digital library also offers research investment and personal finance options with Morningstar Investment Research Center and Weiss Ratings.
For those who are preparing for various examinations and standardized tests, such as the ASVAB, ACT and GRE, the digital library provides access to EBSCO Learning Express, which prepares users to take over 100 exams.
Finally, to support military children, including those who have been impacted by COVID-19, the digital library provides access to Scholastic Pre-K through 12th grade collections, featuring nonfiction ebooks, lesson plans, printable handouts and more for learning at home.
Reading Challenge
The MWR Library program has a Spring Reading Challenge online at dodvirtualsrp.beanstack.org/reader365 now through May 16. Readers who log at least an hour of reading time during the week are automatically entered into weekly e-gift card drawings. The reading challenge is open to MWR-services eligible readers of all ages. Participants can read from any book, newspaper or magazine, listen to audiobooks, or read to a child. Readers are encouraged to checkout ebooks and audiobooks from the MWR Digital Library collections.
Check Out Tutor.com
Through funding from the Department of Defense (DOD) and as a service of the DOD MWR Library System, Tutor.com provides one-to-one academic tutoring and on-demand homework assistance at no cost to students in the Navy, Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. To help alleviate the academic stress due to COVID-19, access eligibility has been temporarily expanded to family members of service members, wounded warriors and DOD civilians. Active duty personnel, civilians and families can receive academic support around-the-clock in more than 100 subjects for grades kindergarten through college.
Sign Up Today
Sponsors and spouses can sign up at home for access to the Digital Library portal with DS Logon, a service of the Defense Manpower Data Center that verifies the user is eligible for Navy MWR services. Personnel can use their Common Access Cards to sign into the digital library.
For more information on the Navy MWR Digital Library, go to www.navymwrdigitallibrary.org or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/USNavyGeneralLibraryProgram.
Military Times 2020 Guide to Military Benefits
Here’s a link to this on-line guide that covers Basic Pay, BAH, retirement, family support, VA loans, TRICARE, and educational benefits. It is a great resource if you have questions about how something works:
Naval Postgraduate School Executive MBA Call for Applications for SEPT 2020 Start
(The new MC career path sets the expectation of a management degree to get senior leadership positions…here’s one that’s free except for books, which probably cost me less than $1,000 in total when I did it from 2012-2014.)
Call for Applications
Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA)
Graduate School of Defense Management
Commencing September 2020
Distance Learning Program using a Web-based, Virtual Classroom Environment
The EMBA is a nonresident, part-time online program for military officers O-4 and senior (O-3 admitted by waiver), federal employees GS-12 and senior or equivalent, and qualified defense contractors. During this 24-month distance-learning program, students acquire the latest knowledge and skills in financial management, acquisition, program management, policymaking, and decision-making. The team-based curriculum includes the latest in defense relevant studies. Students who complete the degree program also earn DAU Level II equivalencies for all program management functional training.
Courses are delivered over the Internet using a web-based, virtual classroom tool with synchronous, real-time interaction between faculty and students. These online technologies use collaborative communication tools that deliver learning opportunities to students regardless of geographical location. Students participate in class one day per week, approximately 6-7 hours per day. To use the virtual classroom, students will need Internet access and audio-video capabilities suitable for web-enabled interactions with instructors and other students.
There are two one-week residency requirements at the NPS campus in Monterey, CA. The EMBA program starts with the first one-week residency requirement which includes an orientation and a graduate-level course. The second one-week of resident instruction is required during year two of the program. Other than these two visits to NPS, students complete all instruction from their home locations. Eligible active duty Naval officers have no cost except for the requirement to purchase textbooks and course materials.
Completed Application Packets are due by 6 July 2020
Please visit the EMBA website at www.nps.edu/emba for more information or contact EMBA Administration at emba@nps.edu or (831) 656-2562. Program information briefings for potential sponsors and students are available upon request.
The New Medical Corps Career Progression Slide – What Does It Mean to You?
Navy Medicine has been undergoing a lot of change. We have a new Surgeon General, a new Corps Chief, and a renewed focus on readiness. With these changes come a new career progression and path for the Medical Corps (MC) Officer (PDF version, PPT version). Let’s take a look at the new model and discuss some of the ways it will impact you as your career progresses. We’ll start at the top of the slide and work our way down, translating it into action items for every MC Officer.
Intent and Expectations
What should a MC Officer note in this section? To be competitive for promotion, you need to have been operational AND clinical. The days of camping at Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs) are over. Everyone needs to be operationally relevant, and this is consistent with the most recent changes in the O6 promotion board convening order. It can be with the Surface Force, Fleet Marine Force (FMF), Undersea, Air, Special Operations, Joint environment, Expeditionary Combat Command, or any other operational setting you find yourself in. It doesn’t matter how or in what setting, but everyone needs to be operationally relevant.
Action #1 – Deliberately develop your operational relevance.
Recommended Medical and Professional Development Path
Very simply, this spells out your educational pathway. Completing residency and becoming board certified is not a new concept or path for the MC Officer. What is new, though, is the expectation that everyone will serve in an operational setting by the time they are up for promotion to O5 and in a more senior operational role before they are up for O6. The concept of everyone becoming an Operational Medical Officer (OMO) is explained in detail at the bottom of the slide.
In addition to serving as an OMO, the expectation is that those who want to serve in more senior roles will complete Joint Professional Military Education Levels I and II (JPME I/II) and obtain formal management or leadership training, such as a Master’s in Business Administration or similar degree.
Action #2 – Start JPME I now if you haven’t already, and develop a strategy and timeline with your mentors to obtain more senior education.
High Reliability Organization Training
The new SG is a huge proponent of high reliability, and Navy Medicine is constantly striving to adopt the principles of a High Reliability Organization (HRO). Many of the classes mentioned on the career path slide are undergoing modifications and updates to incorporate high reliability education.
Action #3 – Attend or complete the listed HRO courses.
Example Assignments
The example assignments are divided into Fleet and Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command/Unit (NMRTC/U) positions. They are also stratified according to the typical ranks at which they would occur. These are general guidelines and variability will certainly occur, so be flexible. For example, we know that it takes a minimum of seven years to become a Neurosurgeon, so their path will vary. Other specialties that require longer training are in a similar situation. As a result of this, we are going to ask each Specialty Leader to take this generic career path and modify it for their own specialty.
Another takeaway from this portion of the slide is to alternate between operational assignments and NMRTC/U assignments where you are serving primarily in a clinical role, likely at an MTF. Time at the MTF will allow you to solidify your individual clinical skills and contribute to our Graduate Medical Education mission. After that tour, return to the operational setting in a more senior role. Rinse and repeat this pattern as your career progresses.
Action #4 – Print the career path slide and get a red and black pen. In black circle the jobs, roles, and courses you’ve already done. In red circle ones you’d like to do. When it is time for your next set of orders, jump from realm where you currently are (Fleet or NMRTC/U) to the other and aim for one of the positions to the right that you circled in red.
An Example – My Career Path
Just to visualize the way we are encouraging you to use the career path slide, let’s take a look at My Career Path. I circled the things I’ve done in black, and the things I’d like to do in red.
As a 19 year O6, I have a lot of black ink, but there are some red circles to the right indicating the things I’d like to do. As the Deputy Corps Chief, I am currently in a senior headquarters role toward the right end of the Fleet portion. Most likely, my next career move will be to obtain JPME II or enter Executive Medicine as an Executive Officer (XO) because completing an XO and Commanding Officer (CO) tour is mandatory before I can compete for the more senior leadership roles. Use a similar analysis of where you’ve been (black ink) and where you want to go (red ink) to come up with options for your next career move.
Summary
The new MC career path should serve as the basic framework around which you structure your career. A quick summary of the actions you should take include:
- Deliberately develop your operational relevance.
- Start JPME I now if you haven’t already, and develop a strategy and timeline with your mentors to obtain more senior education.
- Attend or complete the listed HRO courses.
- Circle the jobs, roles, and courses you’ve already done in black. Circle ones you’d like to do in red. When it is time for your next set of orders, jump from the realm where you currently are (Fleet or NMRTC/U) to the other and aim for one of the positions to the right that you circled in red.
Get JPME I! Application Period Opens for Fleet Seminar Program
NEWPORT, R.I. (NNS) — The U.S. Naval War College will begin accepting applications April 1 for new and returning students in the Fleet Seminar Program for the academic year beginning in September 2020.
The program consists of the three core courses of the College of Naval Command and Staff offered through the College of Distance Education. The application window runs through May 31.
The program provides Joint Intermediate-Level Professional Military Education (JPME-I) in a seminar format at 19 naval and joint bases around the country in keeping with the efforts of the chief of naval personnel to foster a deliberate and flexible learning environment.
“The Fleet Seminar Program creates leaders that are operationally and strategically minded critical thinkers. The military needs leaders who are proficient in joint matters and prepared to meet the complex challenges of today and tomorrow,” said Professor Ron Oard, Fleet Seminar Program manager.
“Looking at the recently released Education for Seapower Strategy, the Navy has placed more emphasis on higher education as a critical warfighting enabler,” he said.
Each course runs from September through May, meeting one evening a week for three hours. The seminars are conducted at the graduate level and require appropriate initiative, research work, writing and class participation from each student.
After successfully completing their first course, students may apply for acceptance into the Naval War College’s Graduate Degree Program, in which, with additional elective coursework, they can earn a Master of Arts degree in defense and strategic studies.
Nearly 1,000 students are currently enrolled, and more than 900 have earned a master’s degree through the program in the past five years.
Enrollment is open to eligible active and reserve officers in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard in the grade of O-3 and above. Active and reserve officers in other military services must be in the grade of O-4 and above to be eligible. Federal civilian employees in the grade of GS-11 and equivalent or above are also eligible.
Selected staff members in the federal executive, legislative, and judiciary branches are also eligible, through an agreement with the chief of naval operations. All applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree.
For more information on course locations and application procedures, visit the FSP website at https://usnwc.edu/college-of-distance-education/Fleet-Seminar-Program.
For more news from Naval War College, visit www.navy.mil/local/nwc/.
Bioethical and Legal Considerations During the COVID-19 Pandemic for Health Care Providers Webinar
Registration is now open for the 9 April 2020 Special Feature Webinar: Bioethical and Legal Considerations During the COVID-19 Pandemic for Health Care Providers. The Special Feature Webinar will take place from 1400-1530 (ET) and is completely virtual allowing participants to earn up to 1.5 Continuing Education/Continuing Medical Education credits from anywhere in the world! To register for this Special Feature Webinar, please visit the following link: https://www.dhaj7-cepo.com/content/bioethical-and-legal-considerations-during-covid-19-pandemic-health-care-providers
The live webinar will discuss bioethical principles, ethical frameworks, legal considerations, and highlight case studies/problem-based discussions for Military Health System (MHS) health care providers during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Presenters:
Army Col. Frederick Lough, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Director, Department of Defense Medical Ethics Center (DMEC)
Bryan Wheeler, J.D.
Deputy General Counsel, Defense Health Agency (DHA)
Joseph Procaccino, Jr., J.D., M.F.S.
Legal Advisor, DMEC
James Giordano, Ph.D., M.Phil.
Bioethicist, DMEC
Joshua Girton, J.D., L.L.M., M.B.A.
Deputy Director, DMEC
Target Audience:
This Special Feature Webinar is designed to meet the educational needs of Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurses, Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, Social Workers, Psychologists, Certified Counselors, Occupational Therapists, Optometrists, Kinesiotherapists, and Healthcare Executives.
Participation:
To register for the Special Feature Webinar, please visit the following link: https://www.dhaj7-cepo.com/content/bioethical-and-legal-considerations-during-covid-19-pandemic-health-care-providers
Throwback Thursday Classic Post – The Best Education You Can Get in the Navy
(It may seem silly to re-post this when most classes are cancelled, but it never hurts to plan. There will be a rush to attend these after the pandemic abates, so maybe you can get on the list early if you find something on the list that interests you below.)
I’ve done a lot of courses and educational programs during my 17.5 (now 19) years in the Navy. Here are the best ones I’ve done and why they are so good:
- Advanced Medical Department Officer Course (AMDOC) (Note – this is now named the Advanced Readiness Officer Course or AROC) – This is tops on the list because it is the most useful and educational course with the widest applicability. Everyone should attend AMDOC as early as they can in their Naval career. This is where you’ll learn about BUMED, the Defense Health Agency (DHA), fitness reports, managing your career, and a whole host of other useful topics. You can find info on the course (and most of these other courses) in this document.
- Naval War College Fleet Seminar Program – This is how I did my Joint Professional Military Education I (which incidentally is one of the best AQDs you can get). I tried to do the on-line Air Force version that everyone said was easier, but I’ve never been less motivated to do anything in my life. When I did the Fleet Seminar Program it was a lot easier because I had a class I had to show up to and classmates I had projects we were working on. It was also a lot more interesting to have discussions with folks of all backgrounds than doing it by myself on-line. You can read about it on their website.
- Naval Postgraduate School Executive MBA Program – This allows you to get a defense focused MBA in 2 years. The commitment is 3 years from the time you finish or quit, and it doesn’t interfere with your medical special pays. It is accredited as a standard MBA program, so you get all the usual MBA content you’d expect (finance, accounting, etc.), but there is a defense focus. This means that you take a class on funding the DoD and 2 semesters about how to purchase weapons programs. The weapons acquisition class was the least fun part of the degree for me, but I was warned ahead of time so I knew it was coming. I combined this non-medical MBA with the Certified Physician Executive courses to learn medical related leadership principles in addition to standard business principles. The work isn’t hard, but it is time consuming and about 10-20 hours per week. Overall, I’d highly recommend this program as you get a quality MBA for only the cost of books.
- Interagency Institute for Federal Health Care Executives (IFFHCE) – This is a very senior level course that is filled with O6 and the equivalent personnel from all branches and governmental agencies. When I attended I was a senior O5 and was the among the most junior in the class. You get exposed to all sorts of very influential speakers who are experts on their high-level strategic topics. It is tough to get into this class, but if you can go I’d highly recommend it.
- MHS Medical Executive Skills Capstone Course – This is similar to the IFFHCE (#4 above). It is senior and strategic. The course topics overlap, but both are excellent.
- MedXellence – This is a course run by the Uniformed Services University that they take on the road. You can often find that the course is coming to your area and sign up when it is local. This course is senior and more operational/tactical than the last 2 courses. It is for those interested in the business aspects of Navy Medicine, like clinic managers, department heads, OICs, Directors, etc. It is similar to an advanced clinic management course.
- Naval Justice School Senior Officer Legal Course – This course is for anyone who has Executive Medicine in their future. You will learn about legal challenges that senior leaders face in a case-based and enjoyable format. I was able to get into the course pretty easily as an O5. You don’t have to be slated to be an XO.
- Lean Six Sigma – If you are at a medium-large command, you should have someone somewhere that is the command’s Lean Six Sigma black belt. You may even have an entire office dedicated to it. I’ve done the green belt certification and taken the black belt course but never completed the full black belt certification. If you want an introduction to process improvement, start taking LSS classes available to you at your command.
- Medical Management of Chemical and Biological Casualties Course – I took this course a long time ago when I was a GMO, but it was great then and probably is still great. You get to go to the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). This is probably of even greater relevance lately due to the COVID pandemic.
- TRICARE Financial Management Executive’s Program (TFMEP) – This is another road show similar to MedXellence. You can find the course info here. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who is looking to rise to the senior levels of leadership at any MTF.
- Joint Senior Medical Leader Course (JSMLC)
- Joint Medical Operations Course – I did these last 2 courses back-to-back at DHA before I was deployed as a Joint Task Force Surgeon. They were a good introduction to the world of joint operations, but not among my favorites, which is why they are at the bottom of the list. If you want to be introduced to the world of joint publications and find out if “joint” really means “Army” have at it!
I’m sure there are other great courses available in the Navy, but these are the ones I’ve done that I found useful. If you have others you’d suggest, post them in the comments section.
Critical Care for Non-ICU Clinicians Course is Now Free
The Society of Critical Care Medicine has made their Critical Care for Non-ICU Clinicians course free. Go here to get it:
https://www.sccm.org/Disaster/COVID19-ResourceResponseCenter?
FY20-21 Tours with Industry Applicants Sought
MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) — Navy announced March 19, that select Sailors can apply to participate in the Secretary of the Navy Tours with Industry (SNTWI) program.
Outlined in NAVADMIN 072/20, SNTWI is a unique and non-traditional opportunity for Active Duty and Full-Time Support (FTS) Sailors in paygrades E-6 to 0-6 to work with corporations. The tours are normally between 10 and 12-months in length depending on community and corporate requirements.
SNTWI Fellows are fully immersed in corporate industry to learn and observe corporate processes and best practices while actively engaged in projects and company operations. The knowledge gained as a SNTWI Fellow will assist in bringing innovative ideas and proven practices back to the Navy.
Applicants must be high performing, within physical standards of readiness, and within three months of their Projected Rotation Date by September 2020 in order to be eligible for participation. Additionally, applicants who are within 11 months of a career milestone, within three years of retirement, or within one year of re-enlistment by July 2020 are not eligible for this program. Unfortunately, no more applications from the Civil Engineer Corps or the Surface Warfare Officer Corps can be taken for the FY20-21 program. Sailors in the aviation community must contact their detailer with questions regarding eligibility.
Officer applications must be routed through the applicant’s detailer, and the Community Distribution Division will select candidates. Enlisted applications should be sent to the SNTWI program office at SNTWI_SUPPORT.fct@navy.mil. Eligibility will be based solely on individual community needs and demands. The SNTWI application, NAVPERS 1330/4, is available online at https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/reference/forms/NAVPERS/Pages/default.aspx. Additionally, all candidates must provide a biography and resume.
All communities must submit the names of their selectees to the Director of SNTWI (PERS-443) no later than March 31, 2020, and communities are encouraged to submit alternate names for unfilled quotas. The Community Distribution Division will make candidate selection and partner companies have final approval of candidates. Candidates will be matched with a company by July 2020, and the individual communities will notify selectees. Sailors selected for this program incur a service obligation of three times the number of months they participate in the SNTWI program.
For more information on eligibility, application details and specific community guidelines, read NAVADMIN 072/20 at http://www.npc.navy.mil.
For community-specific eligibility and application questions, contact your detailer. For program questions not pertaining to application and eligibility, contact SNTWI_SUPPORT.fct@navy.mil.
Occupational Medicine Fundamentals Provider Course – April 20-24 – NMC Portsmouth
The info is in this document:
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 