MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OFFICER DISTRIBUTION BRANCH (PERS 4415)

1. MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OFFICER DISTRIBUTION BRANCH (PERS 4415) CAPT Leigh Wickes, MSC, USN CAPT Clarence Thomas, MSC, USN CDR Ray Stiff, MSC, USN LCDR Chris Morrison, MSC, USN

2. OVERVIEW • NPC Mission • Assignment process • Fitness Reports • Selection Boards Preparation/Selection Boards

3. To support the needs of the Navy by providing the Fleet with the right person in the right place at the right time.  We strive to satisfy our Sailors’ personal goals and improve their quality of life; we will provide them with meaningful and rewarding career opportunities, promote and retain the best, and ensure fair and equitable treatment of all hands, by all hands, at all times.  

4. ASSIGNMENT PROCESS Key Players: Detailer - Officer’s advocate; ensure career and personal concerns are balanced with the needs of the Navy; advocate for all subspecialties; career counseling/career management/assignments. Specialty Leader - SG’s advocate for community-specific concerns including: billet distribution, training, accessions, professional and career development. Specialty Leader advises Detailer on requirements and Officers within their community – does not detail! Placement Officer - Command’s advocate; single POC for manning concerns; work collaboratively with BUMED, Regions, Commands, Detailers and Community Managers to properly distribute personnel resources across the enterprise.

5. ASSIGNMENT PROCESS Duties of the Detailer: • Negotiate and propose orders • Provide career counseling to service members • Detailing Triad (needs of the Navy, career needs, personal needs) • Communicate with the Specialty Leaders • Nominate members and recorders for Boards • Visit commands to speak with service members

6. ASSIGNMENT PROCESS • Talk with SL about Specialty needs/options • Contact detailer early…12 months from PRD • Be honest – lay out all cards, family, school • Remember diversity of assignments • Consider promotion timelines • Have facts correct • Detailers take notes and network constantly • Emails > 1/4 page…indicative of phone call • Military bearing will show in an email/phone call • “Hiding out” will lead to disaster • Don’t use “retirement trump card” – difficult to reverse

7. FITNESS REPORTS

8. FITNESS REPORTS • Single most important personnel management tool - impacts all personnel decisions. • Performance documentation from entry to separation - continuity. • Performance is everything! Make the best of every situation. • Boards select based on the written record - the written record IS the individual.

9. FITNESS REPORT NARRATIVES • Do not write a job description in block 41- already in block 29. • State performance with outcomes and metrics. • Does the narrative match the grades? • Is there a written promotion recommendation? • If you have questions/concerns regarding your FITREP, discuss with reporting senior before signing.

10. FITNESS REPORT NARRATIVES • Reporting Seniors must clarify marks/also break out MP and P officers if large groups. • Forced distribution. “My #1 MP, would have been EP but ranked against highly competitive senior officers”. • “My #1 LCDR out of 25 of all designators” • Headquarters commands—large pool of “stars”—comments especially important. • Reporting Seniors should clarify any “blanket command policies regarding ranking” in the narrative (i.e. newly promoted officers do not receive “EP” rankings).

11. SAMPLE NARRATIVE FORMAT • Short opening statement – Breakout! • #3 of 15 LCDRs regardless of designator (esp. if 1/1 billet) • “If not for forced distribution and being junior LT…” White space • Several bullets with most important listed first • Cause and effect (impact) bullets White space • Closing statement with promotion recommendation. • Command recommendation if up for CAPT. • Statement is critical when serving in 1/1 assignment. EP marking is not a stand alone if the narrative is weak/marginal.

12. OTHER IMPORTANT FITNESS REPORT BLOCKS • Block 29: 14 character/space primary job abbreviation—use your leadership role, e.g., Director, DH, etc. rather than specialty. • Include job scope - # of people supervised, budget oversight if applicable (optional for operational billets). • Block 40: Don’t leave blank! Milestones should be consistent with rank and specialty. Be realistic—don’t recommend a brand new O-4 for MTF CO.

13. FITNESS REPORTS • Don’t repeat bullets from previous fitness reports—each FITREP should present new material. If each FITREP sounds the same during a tour, it doesn’t show growth and development—can be a negative factor. • Be smart and know the BUPERSINST 1610.10A—don’t depend on others to know it. It is your career, manage it.

14. FITNESS REPORT ISSUESIMPACT ON PROMOTION Detailer perspective when reviewing Failure to Select (FOS) Fitness Reports: • Narratives - not written for impact, too technical, job descriptions rather than performance, no demonstrated growth or increasing responsibility, no further job/promotion recommendations, stock comments or phases—not meaningful comments, and too much repetition from report to report. • Did not break out from the pack either in EP or MP ratings or in the narrative. • Accomplishments/contributions as a Naval officer, MSC officer, and a professional--must be addressed in the narrative.

15. FITNESS REPORTS SUMMARY • Performance, performance, performance! • Diversity of assignments and responsibilities. • Remember – no specialty-specific jargon…write so ALL board members will understand • Write cause and effect bullets • Not just a list of what you did; emphasize IMPORTANCE of accomplishments • Lastly, do spell check—sounds like a no-brainer but it happens and it reflects poorly on both the command and the officer………

16. SELECTION BOARD PROCESS

17. SELECTION BOARD PREPARATION • Start about 1 year before in zone • Request record review with detailer (optional) • Order your record on CD https://www.bol.navy.mil/ • Check OSR/PSR/ODC online - https://www.bol.navy.mil/ • Regular FITREP Continuity • Personal Awards • Education information-- degrees & service schools • AQDs

19. RECORD PREPARATION • The week before the board convenes, Head Recorder & Assistant Recorders review each eligible record for completeness. • Manual Reviews - Done as a courtesy to eligible • FITREPS for last 5 years • Verify Awards/Education • Check that OSR/PSR accurately reflects FITREP grades & awards • Missing FITREPS are identified and posted on BOL; “missing FITREP” messages are NOT sent from PERS – Officers in zone should check BOL periodically for this information • Records NOT up to date reflect on the eligible officer being considered!

20. BOARD CONVENES • Voting members arrive and are sworn in • Records are randomly assigned to a primary reviewer - members review & grade records in boardrooms • Reviewers go through your record and make notes to brief your record before the full board • Members brief & vote records in tank • Some board presidents will allow members with personal knowledge of the member to voice positive comments. No negative information is ever permitted, unless it is documented in the fitness report! • Review, grade, brief & vote until number of tentative selects equal the number authorized

21. RECORD REVIEWS • The Selection Board reviews your digital service record through the use of EMPRS, the Electronic Military Personnel Record System • Contains Fitness Reports and information from your microfiche/CD

22. IN THE TANK • Reviewed records (OSR/PSR with member annotations) are electronically forwarded to the voting area (“The Tank”) • Head Recorder calls your name and number, and your primary reviewer begins to talk about your record • Other members listen and vote when they’ve heard enough Simulated tank session with fictitious training record

25. PROMOTION OBSERVATIONS • Performance is the Number ONE indicator • OSR cover page complete/up-to-date • Additional Qualifications • Other Degrees (outside of specialty) • Subspecialties • Avoid “NOT Observed” FITREPs for long periods (if possible)

26. QUESTIONS? CAPT Leigh Wickes (901) 874-3756 leigh.wickes@navy.mil CAPT Clarence Thomas (901) 874-4120 clarence.thomas1@navy.mil CDR Raymond Stiff (901) 874-4115 raymond.stiff@navy.mil LCDR Chris Morrison (901) 874-4050 chris.c.morrison1@navy.mil Web Site: http://www.npc.navy.mil/Officer/Pers44/ Address: Detailer Name Navy Personnel Command (PERS 4415) 5720 Integrity Drive Millington, TN 38055