Promotion requirements for army MC physicians

[SouthernDO2EM]

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I've been trying to find a list of promotion criteria for docs in the army. I was an ASR and I'm in my internship now and think I'm going to stick around for a while and have been unable to find a list of criteria specifying what is needed to be promoted. EX: 01-02, all that's needed is 18 mos of time in grade and completion of bolc, or 02-03 graduate medical school. Does anyone know what the requirements are for each rank or where to find them?

 

[DocRGR]

Don't have the AR for you, but it's a non competitive branch. Basically if your record is not flagged, for something like the inability to pass a PT test, you will be promoted every 6 years beginning with O3 when you graduate.

 

[colbgw02]

BOLC isn't an absolute requirement either to get picked up for or pin on O4. However, they have been going out of their way recently to get people through BOLC as soon as possible, to include delaying residency completion.

CCC - ideally done before going to O5 board, but I know quite a few who attended as junior LTCs.

ILE - ideally done before O6 board. The in-residence course is probably a bad idea for anyone who still wants to practice.

War College - probably a waste of time unless you're gunning to be a general officer.

Anybody hear anything different?

ETA: these are really just guidelines of what the Army would like to see you do, and it probably does make a difference. That said, I know a ton of COLs who have never and will never complete ILE.

 

[chemist157]

How much does a previously flagged record for PT failure effect promotion if it's subsequently passed? In other words, does a past failure tarnish your record significantly?

 

[chemist157]

http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/p600_4.pdf

 

[colbgw02]

How much does a previously flagged record for PT failure effect promotion if it's subsequently passed? In other words, does a past failure tarnish your record significantly?

Pretty sure that it doesn't. Well, not directly. The board only sees the most recent APFT result, and they only see a pass/fail. However, your OERs are a huge part of the board too, and failing a PT test serves as a very easy justification for your rater to drop you to center mass or below center mass.

 

[SouthernDO2EM]

Thanks for the link. I paged through the document and the time in grade and time in service requirements. I looked through the document and they do not clarify what is considered "competitive". I'm sure some of this hinges on active duty vs guard, number of deployments, etc. I'm trying to get an idea of what training outside of standard civilian CME will be expected and or required in the future on the military side (ie what schools/courses offered by the military such as CCC). No one in my state that I have talked to seems to have an idea either as to what we should do.

Currently being an O3, an intern with ~3.5 years of residency remaining, I would meet TIG requirements for O4 upon graduating residency, however, with residency commitments, IDT, and AT attendance there is no time in my schedule for any military courses such as CCC etc. I completed BOLC as a med student and that was fairly difficult to schedule and I'm sure that course is short compared to others.

 

[colbgw02]

They won't let you go to CCC during residency, and since you're an O-3 there isn't any need to even think about it for many years. Assuming no red flags, you'll make O-4 without doing anything else. You'll then have 4.5 years after you've pinned on MAJ to worry about CCC.

 

[notdeadyet]

I thought I read one of the Army regulations documents that said that medical corps officers are exempt from CCC as a requirement for promotion to O4. I'll try to find it later…

 

[DrBloodmoney]

I thought I read one of the Army regulations documents that said that medical corps officers are exempt from CCC as a requirement for promotion to O4. I'll try to find it later…

Captains were a rarity when I went to the accelerated 13 day CCC. It was around 75% O-4s and 20% O-5s.

As far as I can tell ILE is a non-discriminator for promotion to O-6 (for MC probably). I've seen a few people get promoted without it and that was the gist passed around at CCC. They'd like you to have it of course, but I don't think it is absolutely required.

 

[colbgw02]

Captains were a rarity when I went to the accelerated 13 day CCC. It was around 75% O-4s and 20% O-5s.

As far as I can tell ILE is a non-discriminator for promotion to O-6 (for MC probably). I've seen a few people get promoted without it and that was the gist passed around at CCC. They'd like you to have it of course, but I don't think it is absolutely required.

That's probably because the accelerated course was created to accommodate the backlog of MC O-4s and O-5s who hadn't done CCC. After they caught up, they had planned to do away with the accelerated course. Luckily, it looks like somebody figured out that pulling these people out of the MTFs to attend the full CCC was a bad idea of epic proportions, so we may get to keep the short course.

 

[Chonal Atresia]

CCC is a complete waste of time UNLESS you want to make the military a career/make O-5. You WILL make O-4 without it. My DOS Chief couldn't understand why I was willing to "ruin my career" by refusing to go to the CCC. Tough choice b/t spending 9 weeks away from my family and not practicing medicine vs leaving the military and making triple my current salary!

 

[DeadCactus]

So what do you learn at CCC and ILE?

 

[Mirror Form]

So what do you learn at CCC and ILE?

probably nothing

 

[a1qwerty55]

So what do you learn at CCC and ILE?

Nothing medical but you gain some deeper insight into the workings of the Federal Govt -DOD versus State Dept, There is a fairly heavy emphasis on future potential hot spots, Asia, the Caucus region etc. I enjoyed the military history - felt good to read something other than medical literature. Some material is very interesting, some is quite painful.