A multivariate analysis of Navy physician retention.

Abstract

This thesis examines factors which influence the retention of Lieutenant and Lieutenant Commander Navy physicians with nine or fewer years of service. Logit regression was used to estimate the impact of various demographic, tenure, economic and perceptual variables on retention behavior. The data used was a merged data base which combined the responses from the 1985 DoD Survey of Officer and Enlisted Personnel with actual retention data from 1988 personnel records, data from the 1985 BUMIS Medical Officer File, and data from the 1985 Medical Economics Survey of Civilian Physician Earnings. Findings include indications that physicians who hold the rank of Lieutenant Commander, are board certified or fully trained specialists or are general medical officers were more likely to leave the service than their peers. Satisfaction with specific intrinsic and extrinsic job conditions was shown to significantly increase retention. Marital status, race, gender and the military/civilian pay ratio had no impact on retention likelihood. Policy implications, study limitations and recommendations for further research are also discussed.