{"id":16736,"date":"2019-12-02T20:45:18","date_gmt":"2019-12-02T20:45:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/12\/02\/why-the-us-military-cant-recruit-more-mental-health-professionals\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:34:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:34:34","slug":"why-the-us-military-cant-recruit-more-mental-health-professionals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/pay-benefits\/2019\/12\/02\/why-the-us-military-cant-recruit-more-mental-health-professionals\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the US military can\u2019t recruit more mental health professionals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Low pay, fewer advancement opportunities and an excessive workload rank as the top reasons the military services fail to recruit and retain psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health providers, according to a new Defense Department report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With more than 50 percent of psychiatrists nationwide able to run cash-only practices, with many making six-figure salaries, the Army, Navy and Air Force lack a competitive advantage when it comes to paying civilians and drawing military providers, as noted in a report Nov. 29 to Congress.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add in a slow hiring process, onerous paperwork and little say in assignments \u2014 particularly overseas \u2014 and the services can\u2019t keep up with demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenges are a threat to morale, and subsequently, retention, the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen combined with the Defense Health Agency\u2019s access-to-care standards, this reality creates a demoralizing situation in which providers can perform initial behavioral health evaluation but are subsequently unable to provide therapeutic interventions,\u201d the report noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providers who wear uniforms also face additional burdens that prompt many to leave, including frequent changes of duty station and low opportunities for advancement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army promotion system \u201cvalidates and rewards leadership while often clinical career pathways,\u2019 which can force effective providers out of the service, the report stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Navy, psychologists who reach the rank of lieutenant rarely make the next rank \u201cdue to a preponderance of operational billets where the psychologist is not being ranked against peers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while the Air Force is exploring new residency training and recruiting platforms for developing therapists and mental health nurse practitioners, its efforts to recruit already qualified psychologists have not \u201cmet with much success,\u201d the report said. Losses of psychiatrists due to separation and retirement from the Air Force also are outpacing the training pipeline and recruiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The demand for mental health services has risen across the United States in the past decade as the number of providers is has not kept pace and is barely holding steady. The Health Resources and Services Administration projects a shortfall of 250,000 providers by 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And some geographic regions are harder hit <\/a>by the mental health provider shortage. In these areas, the Defense Department faces even more difficult challenges hiring and retaining an adequate number of personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\t