Air Force Physician and Dentist Multiyear Special Pay

Current Status and Potential Reforms

Since the advent of the all-volunteer force, the U.S. Air Force has struggled with how best to attract and retain physicians and dentists. Both populations have declined in recent years. Multiyear Special Pay (MSP) is intended to keep physicians and dentists in the Air Force after their initial service obligations have expired. MSP has been successful in that eligible dentists, in particular, have often accepted it. Although most eligible physicians have heretofore refused MSP, physicians in some subpopulations, e.g., those who received residency training at military medical centers, have shown a growing inclination to accept it. Increasing MSP levels appears to increase the percentage of physicians who choose to accept MSP rather than leaving Air Force service. The authors recommend that the Air Force focus on increasing Medical Corps accessions and consider retention bonuses for dentists who have not yet completed the residencies that make them eligible for MSP.

Support RAND — Buy Now!
Format:
Paperback, 146 Pages
Year:
2009
List Price:
$25.00
Price:
$20.00 Special 20% Web Discount
Add to Cart
Additional Ordering Options
Download eBook for Free

Document Details

  • Availability: Available
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 146
  • List Price: $25.00
  • Price: $20.00
  • ISBN/EAN: 9780833046970
  • Document Number: MG-866-AF
  • Year: 2009
  • Series: Monographs

Contents

  • Chapter One

    Introduction

  • Chapter Two

    Trends in Accession, Retention, and Promotion in the Air Force Medical Corps, 1976-2007

  • Chapter Three

    Physician Cohort Analysis

  • Chapter Four

    Trends in Accession, Retention, and Promotion in the Air Force Dental Corps, 1976-2007

  • Chapter Five

    Dentist Cohort Analysis

  • Chapter Six

    Conclusions

  • Appendix A

    Estimating a Physician's or Dentist's Eligibility for Multiyear Special Pay

  • Appendix B

    Air Force Medical and Dental Special Pays, 1992-2009

  • Appendix C

    Logistic Regression Analysis of Physician Multiyear Special Pay Acceptance

  • Appendix D

    Using the Dynamic Retention Model

The research described in this report was sponsored by the United States Air Force and conducted by RAND Project AIR FORCE.

This report is part of the RAND Corporation monograph series. RAND monographs present major research findings that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND monographs undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

Permission is given to duplicate this electronic document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND PDFs to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND PDFs are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND Permissions page.

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.