Date of Conferral

10-16-2025

Degree

Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.)

School

Health Services

Advisor

Matt Frederiksen-England

Abstract

Recruitment and retention of mental health professionals are critical challenges for the Military Health System (MHS), affecting timely access to behavioral health care, workforce stability, and mission readiness. Persistent shortages threaten the well-being of service members and increase reliance on the resilience of overburdened staff, particularly in rural and underserved areas. This integrative review aimed to identify and synthesize best practices to improve recruitment and retention of mental health providers within the MHS. Using the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Model, a systematic literature search and thematic analysis were conducted on 27 high-quality research and non-research articles. The Affective, Continuance, and Normative Commitment framework was used to assess alignment with the review question, focus, and select studies. The guiding question is: What are the best practices to improve mental health provider recruitment and retention within the MHS system? Six key themes emerged: provider resilience and well-being; compensation and financial incentives; recruitment, hiring, and credentialing processes; advancing equitability access to care; telebehavioral health (TBH) utilization and system adaptation; and organizational commitment and workforce engagement. Addressing these themes requires strategies such as competitive pay, streamlined hiring, rural incentives, expanded telehealth, and leadership development. Enhancing recruitment and retention within the MHS demands multi-level interventions targeting systemic barriers and strengthening organizational commitment. Implementing these evidence-based strategies can stabilize the workforce, ensure equitable access to behavioral health services, support readiness, and inform civilian healthcare systems facing similar challenges.

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