Recruitment woes

[Chonal Atresia]

Army misses recruiting goal by 15,000 soldiers

Officials said the Army brought in about 45,000 soldiers during the fiscal year that ended Friday. The goal was 60,000.

www.armytimes.com

The army missed it's recruitment goals by 25% (15K soldiers). This is obviously a huge number. The article implies that this number is only going to increase in subsequent years and that all services will be affected beginning next year. I wonder how long it will take our military to implode if this issue continues for 2, 3 4+ years (which it appears will happen) at the current op tempo.

Any idea if this recruitment issue is bleeding over to the medical corps? I have been off active duty now for 9+ years and only see what is happening in my local community. I live close to a major army post and have seen the number of Tricare patients (including active duty) skyrocket over the last several years (around 5% of my patient population at my satellite clinic 2-3 years ago to now 50%+). I see 40-50 patients/day so it is a substantial volume of people. I know the army post has at least 4 ENTs but I have no clue what they are doing. They certainly aren't seeing many patients.

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[DrMetal]

Army misses recruiting goal by 15,000 soldiers

Officials said the Army brought in about 45,000 soldiers during the fiscal year that ended Friday. The goal was 60,000.

www.armytimes.com

The army missed it's recruitment goals by 25% (15K soldiers). This is obviously a huge number. The article implies that this number is only going to increase in subsequent years and that all services will be affected beginning next year. I wonder how long it will take our military to implode if this issue continues for 2, 3 4+ years (which it appears will happen) at the current op tempo.

Any idea if this recruitment issue is bleeding over to the medical corps? I have been off active duty now for 9+ years and only see what is happening in my local community. I live close to a major army post and have seen the number of Tricare patients (including active duty) skyrocket over the last several years (around 5% of my patient population at my satellite clinic 2-3 years ago to now 50%+). I see 40-50 patients/day so it is a substantial volume of people. I know the army post has at least 4 ENTs but I have no clue what they are doing. They certainly aren't seeing many patients.

The problem is, the generation that we're trying to recruit now was (mostly) born in this century, the "9-11 Generation". They grew up with cell phones, Google, Facebook, they've been on-line since they were born. Thus, it's actually hard to 'sell' them something. If a recruiter paints a very rosy picture, it's very easy for them to seek information and network with real people, to find the ground truth. That likely turns many people off, I think.

Also, that 9-11 generation is not used to authority. Their parents didn't kick their a$$ (figuratively), nor did their teachers in school. So why would they join an authoritative organization that they could not easily quit?

I guess it's a good thing we're in a peace time posture. Might it change if we go to war with Russia or China? Sure. But I don't think that's gonna happen. China could invade Taiwan tomorrow and set the island on fire, and we would likely do nothing. The American public has no appetite for a war on that scale.

 

[DMBandFan86]

If a recession doesn’t get enough people to join then either they are finding better employment or aren’t interested in that environment of work.

The last thing the army needs to do right now is substantially lower the quality of recruits just to meet numbers.

The current global geopolitical environment isn’t enticing people to join. What are we fighting for? Why sacrifice for it? People like a good goal, and currently I feel a lot of nonchalance about it all. Just doesn’t get people revved up to join.

 

[Baron Samedi]

Maybe people aren't joining because they've heard what it's like.

 

[TheEarDoc]

We are going to be a in world of hurt in the next few years if promotions and retention doesn't turn around especially in Guard/Reserves for medical. The promotion rates are so bad we are kicking out 0-2's and 0-3's and 0-4's just because they haven't completed CCC in the Army. Wait until something even minor kicks off where op tempo for mobilizations/deployments picks up. When providers start getting sent multiple times in a few years they will also say screw it and pop smoke. The current folks being forced out aren't getting replaced from what I can tell.

None of the units in my entire region have been at full strength in years, but AMEDD is over strength? Really? I am just not seeing it.

 

[pgg]

Enlistment recruitment is all about the options that pool of people have. It's the economy, the economy, and the economy.

I'd bet money that the HPSP pipeline will stay full. It's $ for medical school and that's all you've got to say. USUHS is an allopathic admission - also will always be full. The only thing that dented HPSP (briefly) was around 2006 when Afghanistan and Iraq were starting to quag in the mire. And all they had to do was add $20K to the plate and bump the stipend a bit, and it was full again.

 

[TheEarDoc]

Enlistment recruitment is all about the options that pool of people have. It's the economy, the economy, and the economy.

I'd bet money that the HPSP pipeline will stay full. It's $ for medical school and that's all you've got to say. USUHS is an allopathic admission - also will always be full. The only thing that dented HPSP (briefly) was around 2006 when Afghanistan and Iraq were starting to quag in the mire. And all they had to do was add $20K to the plate and bump the stipend a bit, and it was full again.

Pretty much true. If we get involved in some smaller wars again all they will need to do is add some folks back to the critical wartime shortage list and hand out some cash and also open recruiting back up with some loan repayment and cash incentives and they will get warm bodies to fill the voids.

 

[HighPriest]

Much as I wouldn’t mind milmed having to take responsibility for the system it has created, I think pgg is on point. It’s easy (for me at least) in hindsight to look back and say I wouldn’t do it. But you’re talking about a desperate group of very young, immortal people who are facing triple digit debt with double digit interest who have in many cases never made more than minimum wage and many of whom have parents who lived not too far away from the poverty line. But on the other hand they have an acceptance letter that represents years of extremely hard work, overcoming doubters and detractors, and possibly the gateway to a better life.

I know because that was me, more or less. I’m not trying to glorify my experience, but it’s a hell of a position to be in.

Then comes Uncle Sam! Your good ‘ol Uncle Sam! And he wants to take you on a magical camping trip and pay for all the debt! He’ll literally brush away this massive, balrog of an obstacle that weighs on your mind - this brick wall that suddenly dropped at what seems like the top of the hill you’ve been climbing for years - all gone. All you gotta do is go camping with him.

And these are the only two options you know about. You can’t even see past that mountain of theoretical debt.

Of course he ends up molesting you, but you don’t know that until after.

 

[militaryPHYS]

Some people choose to go civilian and delay life and wealth building until they are in their 30's, others choose to avoid debt and start life/family early. Many fall in between. Lots of options out there for people and I for one am very glad USUHS was an option for me. Would do it again in a heart beat. Dealt with a ton of headaches...no overt molestation.

4 more to pay back (after adding 3 for fellowship training)
9 more until eligible for retirement

Wife is done paying back
She is staying in but not taking retention bonus to keep ability to separate if needed.

 

[HighPriest]

Sometimes it takes counseling to unearth those repressed memories. Don’t worry, you’ll work it out.

 

[TheEarDoc]

I think knowing what I know now, had the Army done a good job of selling itself around the early 2000's I would have went on the health scholarship to med school in a heartbeat. Cost was the main reason for me choosing a different field of healthcare than medicine.

I don't ever recall even seeing a recruiter on campus during all 10 years I was there between 2 undergraduate degrees, a certificate program, and my doctorate.

 

[Correlate Clinically]

I've been reading these forums every so often for years, I think I stumbled on them as a resident way back.

The post from Priest cracked me up. That is exactly how it goes; it's just one camping trip...

We have often sat around (sometimes in exotic foreign locations, with nothing else to do) wondering when recruitment will finally drop. They usually find the bodies to take the USUHS or HPSP spots, but at some point you would think there would be enough readily available information to dissuade folks.