1. FY-12 Active-Duty Staff Corps Community Brief Disclaimer
This community brief has been generated by the community leaders, including detailers and community managers. It has been vetted by the Navy Personnel Command and OJAG for statutory compliance and approved by SECNAV.
ONLY MATERIAL APPROVED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY WILL BE PRESENTED TO STATUTORY SELECTION BOARDS.

2. LARGE/MEDIUM FACILITIES STAFF/ACADEMIC/OPERATIONAL
Medical Corps
Career Progression
Career Path: Five career paths and officers can intertwine during career
Medical Corps Career Paths:
Clinical
Operational
Academic
Research
Administrative
DO ALL FACILITIES
DO/DH
LARGE/MEDIUM FACILITIES XO CO
MAJOR STAFF
STAFF/ACADEMIC/OPERATIONAL
CONUS/SEA/OVERSEAS
There are 27 specialties and more than 200 subspecialties in the Medical Corps. In addition Medical Corps officers can pursue five career paths (Clinical, Operational, Academic, Research, Administrative) and may change paths or specialty as they move through their career and become more senior.
Medical Corps officers earn 4 years of Creditable Service for medical school training and additional years if they practiced medicine prior to entering the Navy. Most are commissioned in the Navy as an O-3 or O-4.
General Medical Officers, Flight Surgeons, and Undersea Medical Officers are an important part of meeting the operational requirements of the Navy healthcare mission. A majority of these officers have not started residency training prior to these assignments, however it is expected that they will enter a residency within their first two tours. Once residency training is completed it is expected that the officer meet the Board Certification milestone within a reasonable time frame.
It is important to note that certain specialties such as neurosurgery or interventional cardiology do not lend themselves to traditional sea, operational, or shore rotations due to the nature of the combat mission, casualty evacuation policy, and equipment/facility requirements to support them.
Typical Billets
RESIDENT
FELLOW
STAFF PHYSICIAN
CATF SURGEON
RAM
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
EXECUTIVE MEDICINE
SENIOR CLINICIAN
USUHS PROFESSOR
SENIOR OPERATIONAL
RESIDENT
GMO FS
UMO
RESIDENT
FELLOW
STAFF PHYSICIAN
INTERN
GMO – General Medical Officer
FS – Flight Surgeon
UMO – Undersea Medical Officer
RAM – Residency in Aerospace Medicine
CATF – Commander Amphibious Task Force
USUHS – Uniformed Services University of Health Services

3. Medical Corps Lieutenant Commander CATEGORY O-3 O-4 OFFICER INVENTORY
1349
1148
FULLY TRAINED 7%
22%
BOARD CERTIFIED
10%
54%
TRAINING/RESIDENCY
29%
17%
NOT RESIDENCY TRAINED
At this point in their career, Medical Corps Officers typically have passed the Medical Licensing Exam (MLE) and received medical licensure. Approximately half have started residency training and half have completed it. The officer may have had an operational tour.
Fully Trained – Successfully completed residency, but not board certified.
Board Certified – Passed national certification in a specialty.
Training/Residency – Currently enrolled in initial residency training.
Not Residency Trained – Currently not residency trained and not in residency training

4. Medical Corps Commander CATEGORY O-4 O-5 OFFICER INVENTORY 1148 759
FULLY TRAINED
22% 9%
BOARD CERTIFIED
54%
90%
TRAINING/RESIDENCY
17% 1%
NOT RESIDENCY TRAINED 7% 0%
At this point in their career, Medical Corps Officers typically have passed the Medical Licensing Exam (MLE), received medical licensure, and are selected for, currently enrolled or completed Graduate Medical Education. The officer should have had several duty assignments and experiences to include CONUS/OCONUS or Operational and specialty utilization tours.
Fully Trained – Successfully completed residency, but not board certified.
Board Certified – Passed national certification in a specialty.
Training/Residency – Currently enrolled in initial residency training.
Not Residency Trained – Currently not residency trained and not in residency training

5. Medical Corps Captain CATEGORY O-5 O-6 OFFICER INVENTORY 759 409
FULLY TRAINED 9% 1%
BOARD CERTIFIED
90%
99%
TRAINING/RESIDENCY 0%
NOT RESIDENCY TRAINED
At this point in their career, Medical Corps Officers typically have passed the Medical Licensing Exam (MLE), received medical licensure, completed residency and achieved specialty board certification. They may be enrolled in subspecialty training (Fellowship).
Consideration of an officer’s clinical proficiency and skill as a health professional should be given the same value as the officer’s administrative and management skills. There are frequently NOB fitreps in the service records of the most talented clinicians which occur when they received advanced specialty training in civilian programs. Therefore a missing or NOB fitrep should not necessarily be considered a negative factor for the officer. Letter reports (attached to the fitness reports) from the institution where the programs are located should also be given equal consideration to fitness reports and can provide insight to the officer's management or leadership abilities.
The officer should have had a variety of duty assignments and experiences to include CONUS, OCONUS, Operational and specialty utilization tours and have demonstrated increasing levels of professional expertise, leadership and commitment to the Navy.
Fully Trained – Successfully completed residency but not board certified.
Board Certified – Passed national certification in a specialty.
Training/Residency – Currently enrolled in initial residency training.
Not Residency Trained – Currently not residency trained and not in residency training

6. Medical Corps Community Values Clinical Excellence
Officers successfully demonstrated excellence in their clinical specialty
Specialty Career Path
Officers serving in senior clinical leadership positions provide unique subject area expertise
Serve as educators for postgraduate training programs
Leadership
All levels are expected to serve as mentors to junior personnel
Selected individuals participate in leadership of Navy Medicine
Career Diversity
Records should have an appropriate balance of operational and support assignments
The Medical Corps is a widely diverse community whose primary focus is Force Health Protection. Clinical expertise, leadership, geographic and career diversity are important factors in providing the experiential base that all Medical Corps officers must have as they seek promotion to the next higher grade.