More than 140 Army Medical Department Officers assigned to Joint Base Lewis McChord, WA gathered at The American Lake Club on Oct. 22-23, 2019 for a Leader Professional Development opportunity from the Army's Human Resources Command hosted by the 62nd Medical Brigade.
"In this time of transition for Army Medicine, it's important for our officers to understand how to properly prepare and remain competitive within their careers," said Col. Laura M. Elliott, commander, 62nd Med Bde.
This rare opportunity allowed AMEDD officers to meet face to face with their specific Corps representatives to ask questions and also network with others within their community. Visiting representatives from each AMEDD Corps included Medical Service Corps, Nurse Corps, Medical Corps, Specialty Corps, Veterinary Corps and the Dental Corps.
Col. Nancy Parson, chief nurse, Human Resources Command, briefed an overview of the Army Talent Alignment Process and Assignment Interactive Module Version 2.
"Overall, the event was exceptional," said Maj Gary Miller, 62nd Med. Bde. adjutant. "Typically, we never have the opportunity to have all AMEDD branches represented outside of Fort Knox. This opportunity really allowed officers a chance to dig deeper into their respective branches.
During the event officers participated in a Department of the Army Secretariat Mock Board Demonstration that allowed officers to see how DA boards are conducted.
"It was a great opportunity to talk among peers, receive senior AMEDD officer advice, and get a behind the scenes perspective from the HRC representatives," said Capt. Jessica Colocho, behavioral health officer, 17th Field Artillery Brigade. "I always wondered what representatives on a board are looking for and this was a great experience to ask questions and actually get practice and valuable feedback from people who have gone through the process."
As a recent AMEDD promotion board member, Col. J. Bradly Swift, deputy commander, 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, provided a broad overview of board processes and officer evaluation records. Highlights of his brief touched upon the importance of understanding differences between active competitive category vs. AMEDD promotion boards and fully qualified boards vs. best qualified boards.
The LPD concluded with an opportunity for officers to speak one on one with their Corps representative.
"As we transition into the new Army Talent Alignment Process, we were able to hear directly from HRC on not only what to expect moving forward, but what we can do as officers to better "sell" ourselves to potential units and future assignments, said Miller."
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