Factors impacting job satisfaction among nurses from a tertiary care centre

Aims and objectives. To investigate the level of job satisfaction and the impact of personal characteristics and work environment on job satisfaction among nurses. Background. Job satisfaction among nurses is of paramount importance to providers of health care because satisfied nurses appear to be endowed with the physical and emotional dexterity and the effort needed to perform their tasks that will enhance the quality of care provided to the patient. Design. A cross-sectional survey. Methods. The study included nurses of both genders with at least one year of nursing experience, serving in all shifts of various clinical settings (n=178 nurses). A modified version of measure of nurses' job satisfaction, developed by Whitley and Putzier, was used to assess the effect of personal characteristics profile and work environment on job satisfaction. Results. A total of 140 nurses were (response rate=78.7%) entered into final data analysis. The study showed that 111 participants (79.3%) were significantly satisfied in their current jobs. Furthermore, 65 nurses (46.4%) were not satisfied with their salaries, and almost half the nurses were not pleased with the nurse/patient ratio, autonomy and enough time to discuss problems with staff. Conclusion. This study revealed that almost 50% of nurses are overworked, are unsatisfied with their salaries, and have limited autonomy and inadequate communication with superiors. Strategies must be formulated by hospital and government authorities to decrease workload and empower nurses in controlling their practice in order to retain nurses in their jobs. Relevance to clinical practice The management must provide positive leadership and understand the local issues that affect nurses in order to enhance retaining and avoid shortage. This can be reflected positively on nursing clinical practice and ultimately patient health status.