Medical Corps
MC Recruiting Update and Funded TAD!
Last week was a big week capped off with a stunning upset of West Point by the USNA Football team. While not quite as thrilling as the Army-Navy Game, it was also a big week for BUMED who hosted Navy Recruiting Command (NRC) senior leadership on Friday. Our Deputy Surgeon General RADM Freedman and RADM Waters, Commander, NRC, led a three-hour discussion at BUMED HQ on talent management. The discussion included recruiting lines of effort within both organizations, partnerships to recruit both students through HPSP and physicians through direct accessions, and how to eliminate inefficiencies and increase speed to decision for physician onboarding. One of the key points introduced by RADM Waters is that only physicians can recruit physicians. While NRC can create engagement opportunities and process the required paperwork, physicians interested in naval service want to speak to Navy doctors.
Attached is a spreadsheet listing medical recruiting activities for which Navy doctors are needed (highlighted in yellow). These recruiting events are centrally funded by BUMED. You only need your command’s permission to participate in the TAD; a BUMED line of accounting will be provided. While Navy Medicine is experiencing challenges, if you feel like the benefits you’ve received through naval service outweigh these challenges, please volunteer to partner with a Navy recruiter at one of these engagements by e-mailing your Corps Chief’s Office. Note, several are relatively short-fused. The CCO must provide names a week from today so the suspense date for volunteers is midnight Sunday, 22 December 2024. Recruiting the best and brightest to the Navy is an All-Hands effort. Many Navy Medicine challenges are dependent on DHA policies but correcting our end strength problem is within our control.
MHS Award for Advancement of Women Physicians
This is the official call for nominations for the 2024 MHS Award for the Advancement of Women Physicians in Military Medicine. 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 the attached document.
FY25 Medical Corps Pay Plan
Many of you have seen the announcement for FY25 MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OFFICER SPECIAL PAYS FOR ACTIVE DUTY (NAVADMIN 198/24) but noticed the link to the BUMED Special Pays website does not have the FY25 plan. The website will take a few days to update. In the meantime, the FY25 MC Special Pays Plan is attached below.
BUMED N1 estimated that the plan includes an additional $14 million in salary support. That number has been adjusted to $16 million. It remains “the most aggressive Medical Department pay plan in Navy history.” Many are shocked that it was passed but it speaks to a recognition by Congress that we need to aggressively incentivize military physician retention.
In addition to increased compensation for active duty, the FY25 Plan provides increased and expanded accession bonuses (ABs) to improve our Medical Corps end strength through direct accessions. In the spirit of the CNO’s “Every Sailor is a Recruiter” program, the Surgeon General has authorized the Corps Chiefs’ Office to sponsor teams to conduct recruitment activities at specialty-specific scientific/educational conferences. If you are interested in partnering with recruiters from Navy Recruiting Command to improve manning for your specialty, please contact your specialty leader about potential opportunities. Several specialties already have proposals awaiting FY25 lines of accounting.
The MC plan can be found here:
Virtual Medical Corps Chiefs Call – Save the Date – 16 OCT 2024
Our next Virtual Corps Chief Call with Admiral Valdes via MHS Teams is scheduled for October 16th, 2024. There will be two sessions on the same day. The objective of the call is to update as many officers as possible on various MC matters. Admiral Valdes and the Corps Chief Office will discuss these topics and be available for a Q&A session. We are excited to see and hear from you! Please find the Teams Link information below.
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