Examining Retention Sentiments and Attrition Among Active Duty Army Medical Officers

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Providing quality care and maintaining exceptional medical providers are important priorities for military medicine. The present study examines the association between retention sentiments and voluntary separation from army service among Army Medical Corps and Nurse Corps Officers. Retention sentiments are derived from the Department of the Army Career Engagement Survey, a voluntary survey that Active Duty Soldiers complete annually. Materials and Methods The sample included active Army officers in the Medical Corps (n = 1198) and Nurse Corps (n = 1016) who completed the Department of the Army Career Engagement Survey between May 06, 2020 and November 02, 2023, passed the embedded attention check, and said their responses could be used for research purposes. The most frequently cited “Extremely Important” reasons to leave the army were identified within each sample. Binomial logistic regression was used to examine the likelihood of separating from army service based on the top five reasons to leave the Army as identified on the Department of the Army Career Engagement Survey. This study was determined by Exempt Human Subjects Research. Results An examination of the factors most frequently endorsed as an “Extremely Important” reason to leave the Army revealed that “Effects of deployments on Family or personal relationships” and “Impact of military service on my Family’s well-being” were among the five most cited “Extremely Important” reasons to leave the army within both the Medical Corps and the Nurse Corps samples. When examined together (i.e., summed), the Composite Leave Score was associated with a significantly greater odds of separating from army service in each sample. Specifically, each additional top five “Extremely Important” leave reason identified was associated with a 38% greater odds of separating from army service within the Medical Corps and 50% greater odds of separating from army service within the Nurse Corps. Conclusions The current study highlights unique retention concerns among army medical providers in the Medical Corps and Nurse Corps. Additionally, this study ties medical provider sentiments to subsequent voluntary separation from the army. These findings can help army senior leaders evaluate, draft, and revise policy aimed at increasing retention among army medical providers, and increasing access to quality healthcare for service members and their families.