Thesis
Factors influencing career intentions of early to mid-career US Air Force dental officers
University of Iowa
Master of Science (MS), University of Iowa
Spring 2024
DOI: 10.25820/etd.007385
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with retention intent among early to mid-career US Air Force dental officers. The goal is to provide a foundation for enhancing retention through evidenced based interventions and inform future research.
METHODS: The data source was an online survey sent to all US Air Force dentists in 2022 about retention issues. The dependent variable measured the respondent’s intention to remain with the Air Force Dental Service until retirement at 20 years with respondents having the options of intending to remain until retirement, separating prior to, or that they were unsure of their career intentions. Independent variables included demographic characteristics, such as rank, years of service, and commissioning status, as well as the extent to which several characteristics of military dentistry influenced their career intentions. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and logistic regression.
RESULTS: In multivariable analyses, career intent was significantly associated with years of service (p<0.001) and most recently completed dental training (p<0.001). In descriptive analyses of reasons to stay or separate, the top five influences to separate among all participants were: impact of policy changes (87%), adequacy of clinic staffing (82%), amount of additional duties (81%), turnover of personnel (80%), and civilian job prospects (78%). Conversely, the top five influences to remain among all participants were: benefits (71%), group practice environment (66%), patriotism (64%), quality of dental practice (53%), and opportunity to mentor others (51%). Additionally, there were significant differences in the influence of compensation, family quality of life, job satisfaction, and the desire to pursue certain dental opportunities across the three different career intentions.
CONCLUSIONS: Factors associated with and significantly influencing the career intentions of Air Force dental officers are complex and numerous. Emphasis should be placed on the experience of young officers, work environment, and extra organizational factors for those interventions aimed at retention. Future research should be prospective and concentrated on those influential factors that are modifiable.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Factors influencing career intentions of early to mid-career US Air Force dental officers
- Creators
- William Senn
- Contributors
- John Warren (Advisor)Susan McKernan (Advisor)Julie Reynolds (Committee Member)Jennifer Sukalski (Committee Member)Erliang Zeng (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (MS), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Dental Public Health
- Date degree season
- Spring 2024
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.007385
- Number of pages
- xi, 93 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2024 William Senn
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 04/23/2024
- Description illustrations
- tables, graphs
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 72-75).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
- This study aimed to understand what factors influence early to mid-career US Air Force dental officers in deciding whether to stay in the military until retirement, leave before retirement, or remain uncertain about their career intentions. Researchers conducted a detailed analysis of the 2022 US Air Force Dental Service Retention Survey to gather valuable insights. The findings highlighted key associations between career intentions and years of service, as well as the type of dental training completed. Notably, the top factors influencing separation included the impact of policy changes, clinic staffing adequacy, additional duties, personnel turnover, and civilian job prospects. Conversely, the factors promoting retention were benefits, a supportive group practice environment, patriotism, the quality of dental practice, and the opportunity to mentor others. The study also revealed significant differences in the impact of compensation, family quality of life, job satisfaction, and the desire to pursue specific dental opportunities based on career intentions. In conclusion, the decision-making process for Air Force dental officers is intricate and influenced by various factors. The study suggests that interventions aimed at retention should focus on the experiences of young officers, the work environment, and external factors. The researchers recommend future studies to be prospective and concentrate on factors that can be modified to enhance career retention strategies for these officers.
- Academic Unit
- Preventive and Community Dentistry
- Record Identifier
- 9984647645902771
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