Job satisfaction among physiotherapists living in Aegean Region of Turkey: a questionnaire survey

Purpose: To investigate job satisfaction level of a group of physiotherapists living in Aegean region of Turkey. Methods: Turkish version of Speakman's Job Satisfaction Questionnaire was e-mailed to 164 physiotherapists working in two cities of Aegean Region. The questionnaire consisted of ten statements related to ten different aspects of professional physiotherapy practice and two main parts: agreement and importance. Respondents rated the statements on a seven point Likert type scale. Results: A response rate of 68.9% was achieved. Physiotherapists with less experience had more paperwork. Physiotherapists with Master's degree gave more importance to improvement compared to bachelors. Physiotherapists in private clinics found interest of work more important for satisfaction. No significant difference was found between the groups in terms of total satisfaction scores (p> 0.05). Total scores showed significant satisfaction levels in terms of job fulfillment, job interest and opportunities enabling improvement. Satisfaction levels were lower for having enough autonomy and sufficient independence in clinical decision-making, being overworked and physical difficulties. Conclusions: Overall scores showed that Turkish physiotherapists were not satisfied in terms of job autonomy. Having adequate autonomy and independence in clinical decision-making are important predictors of job satisfaction among Turkish physiotherapists.