The Identification and Description of the Reasons Provided by Soldiers for Reenlisting in the U. S. Army Medical Department

The retention of healthcare personnel, especially in the profession of nursing, continues to remain a critical issue. The ability to adequately and safely staff healthcare facilities to provide inpatient and outpatient care and emergency services is dependent on maintaining a well trained and experienced professional and paraprofessional workforce. This issue is of particular importance to the enlisted members of United States Army Medical Department (AMEDD) and the United States Army Nurse Corps. This qualitative descriptive research study identified many topics influencing the retention of enlisted personnel in the AMEDD.

The work environment, economic factors, personal and professional issues were identified as influencing decisions regarding reenlistment. Additionally, the findings of this study indicate that the decision to reenlist was often made as a result of the individual’s perceptions and evaluation of the importance and interactions of the topics. Finally, this study identified that retention can also include the possibility of staff returning to a previous employer. The development of a better understanding of the topics identified and described as important when making the decision to reenlist should support the AMEDD as it continues to assess and refine current reenlistment incentives as well as the identification and development of additional options to improve enlisted soldier retention.