leadership
Pentagon Finally Has an Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs
Here’s a link to this article from Military.com:
Pentagon Finally Has an Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs
Throwback Thursday Classic Post – Could a Master’s Degree Get You Promoted?
When discussing why they failed to promote, one of the more common reasons that officers give is that they were unable to get a leadership position. When I ask them how they prepared themselves for these positions and what they did to improve their chances of getting one, they often don’t have much to say. Frankly, they didn’t do anything “extra” or above and beyond their normal duties to prepare for and get a leadership position.
Don’t be one of those officers.
The recipe for promotion is fairly simple. Superior performance in leadership positions leads to early promote (EP) fitreps, which leads to promotion. As promotion gets more difficult, the competition for leadership positions is likely to increase, and officers need to find a way to differentiate themselves from the crowd, increasing the chance they’ll get leadership positions. Obtaining a master’s degree can be one of the things that will distinguish you from other physicians and can dramatically increase the chances that you are competitive for career advancing positions.
What Kind of Degree Should You Consider Getting?
This depends on your career goals. If you want to become a leader in research or global health engagement, an area of increased focus in the Navy, you probably want to get a Master in Public Health (MPH) or similar degree. If you want to become a residency or fellowship director, a master’s degree in adult or medical education would fit the bill. If you want to become an operational leader, attending a war college would make sense. And if you want to become a clinical administrator or pursue executive medicine, obtaining a management degree, such as a Master in Business Administration (MBA), Master in Medical Management (MMM), or Master in Healthcare Administration (MHA), would make sense to me.
How Can You Get a Master’s Degree While on Active Duty?
There are many ways you can do this, but the most common include:
- Complete a fellowship that includes a master’s degree. Some fellowships either include or have the option of obtaining a MPH, such as the Global Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response Fellowship. I also know of multiple officers who asked the Graduate Medical Education Selection Board for an additional year of fellowship to obtain a degree or simply for permission to obtain a degree alone. What are the chances this will be granted? Well I’m sure the chances change from year to year, but they are zero if you don’t ask.
- Complete the distance learning Executive MBA from the Naval Postgraduate School. This is how I got my MBA for the cost of books alone, and I think the program is excellent. You have to go to Monterey for 1 week at the beginning of the 2-year program, but after that all classes are held on-line.
- Apply for the Navy Career Intermission Program and take time off to get a degree.
- Attend a war college. Intermediate colleges are for officers who are O4 or below, while senior college is for O5 and above. If you’re interested, contact your Detailer.
- USUHS offers a Master in Health Professions Education.
- Pay for it yourself and do it in your free time on-line or in person. One program to look into is offered by the American Association for Physician Leadership (https://www.physicianleaders.org/education/physicians/masters). By taking some CME you can then enroll in various patient safety and management degrees that are all physician focused. The on-line University of Massachusetts healthcare focused MBA that they offer is the most reasonably priced MBA that I could find that is accredited by the top business school accreditation body. If you want a fast MBA (but pricey), look into the University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA program (http://pemba.utk.edu).
While committing to a master’s degree program will take major time and effort, that is the point. It is a well-recognized way to demonstrate to the Navy that you’ve made a serious commitment to your professional development and could go a long way toward giving your next interview for a leadership position.
Three Associate Director Positions at NMC Portsmouth
Here are three openings for Associate Directors at NMC Portsmouth. You have to either be at NMCP already, have orders inbound, or have the endorsement of your Detailer to apply. All positions have due dates of 28 JUN for applications, the details of which are in these files:
Associate Director, Clinical Support Services
2019 MHS Female Physician Leadership Award Call for Nominations
Nominations for the 2019 Military Health System (MHS) Female Physician Leadership Award are open. Awards will be given to one Navy junior leader (O-3/O-4) and one Navy senior leader (O-5/O-6).
A complete package consists of a nomination form (detailed instructions here), 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_19”
Examples: DoeJ_Navy_Jr_FPL_19 or DoeJ_Navy_Sr_FPL_19
The submission deadline is COB 31 July 2019. Packages (and questions) should be sent to CDR Melissa Austin in the Medical Corps Chief’s Office (contact info in the global).
Walter Reed Chief of Staff Position – O6
BUMED recently added the Walter Reed Chief of Staff job to the list of positions available for those who are screened or planning to screen for a XO position in 2020. The details are in this document, but any Navy people who wish to be considered must follow the XO application process, which has a due date of 15 JUN 2019:
CNO and MCPON Release Updates to Leadership Guidance
Here’s a link to the blog post:
Female Force Readiness Advisory Board Chair Position
This is the chair position of what was formerly known as the Women’s Health Clinical Community. All the details are here:
Director, Health Evaluation and Lifestyle Management Program at NMCP – O5/O6
BACKGROUND:
The Chief of Naval Operations has directed the Navy Surgeon General to stand up the Health Evaluation and Lifestyle Management (HELM) program to support the health, readiness and resilience of senior leaders within the Department of the Navy. The HELM program will be initiated and sustained at Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth. During the Initial Operational Capability (IOC), the program will focus on active duty flag officers. The program will expand during Full Operational Capability (FOC) to include reserve component flag officers, Senior Executive Service employees who are eligible for care, and other senior leaders. The HELM program is based on an interdisciplinary team model that will include three days of comprehensive medical testing with an integrative summary of care. Specialties involved in the HELM program include but not limited to: Primary Care/Internal Medicine, Sleep Medicine, Physical Therapy, Cardiology, Women’s Health, Urology, Dermatology, Nutrition, Psychological Resilience, and Executive Coaching. Additional specialty services can be consulted and provided as required.
POSITION DUTIES:
The HELM Director will report directly to the Commanding Officer, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP). The HELM Director is being established as a Navy Medicine Milestone position. In addition to this key leadership role, the HELM Director may also serve as teaching faculty at NMCP.
The Director of HELM will be responsible for the leadership, oversight and execution of all aspects of establishing and sustaining the HELM program to include fiscal, operational, and clinical oversight. The Director will serve as Navy Medicine’s ambassador to the highest-ranking echelons of the Navy and Marine Corps, including close coordination with Service headquarters and the Navy War College. The position involves management and oversight approximately 30 personnel (combination of AD and GS).
The position is open to Medical Corps Officers (2100) at the O-5/O-6 level. Individuals not already in the Tidewater area will need to be available for a PCS move in anticipation of a 3 year (at a minimum) assignment by June 2019.
The preferred candidate will have the following attributes:
1) A track record of broad superior performance in both clinical and leadership positions;
2) Experience leading interdisciplinary teams;
3) Effective interpersonal, communicative, and collaborative skills;
4) Proven ability to function in operational and academic settings and to understand operational and academic imperatives;
5) Superior military bearing.
Interested candidates should submit (preferably via e-mail) a letter of intent, CV, BIO, PRIMS Data and last three Performance Evaluations or Letters of Recommendation (no more than three total) to the Corps Chiefs office (CDR Melissa Austin – contact in the global) no later than COB 14 May 2019.
Director of Healthcare Business at NMC Portsmouth – O5/O6
All the details on this position are in this vacancy announcement:
Associate Director of Primary Care at NMC Portsmouth – O5/O6
The details of the position are in the vacancy announcement below. In order to apply, you must either be at NMCP, have inbound orders, or receive the endorsement of your Detailer.
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 