Factors Influencing Job Satisfaction in a Multigenerational Nursing Workplace

Saturday, 23 February 2019

Ericka J. Sanner-Stiehr, PhD, RN
College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA
Tarja Kvist, PhD, MSN, BSN, RN
Department of Nursing Science, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
Simone Stevanin, MSN, RN
Agency for Health and Social Care- Veneto Region, Venice, Italy

Nursing staff turnover is a prevalent problem with negative consequences for patient care and organizational finances. High rates of turnover result in disruptions to daily work flow and, in turn, decreases to quality of patient care delivery. In an era of economic uncertainty and implementation of lean techniques, retaining staff is essential to both institutional financial health and efficient, safe patient care delivery.

Nurses comprise as much as 75% of a typical institution’s staff and 40% of its payroll. Additionally, nurses typically have the most direct contact with patients and involvement with their care provision, making nurses a priority focus for retention efforts. Job satisfaction is a strong predictor of intent to leave a job and actual turnover rates. Turnover rates are historically and currently highest among newly licensed nurses, the majority of which are aged 25 years or younger and occupying staff nurse positions. Concerns about turnover in managerial and administrative roles presents an additional concern, as strong leadership is crucial in an economic climate of change and uncertainty in health care. Health care organizations increasingly express a desire to increase nurse retention at all levels of practice. Unfortunately, a paucity of literature exists to link specific aspects of job satisfaction to various demographic characteristics of nursing. The purpose of this study was to address this gap in the literature by examining the links between aspects of job satisfaction and various nurse demographics. Specifically, the Aims of this project included (1) to assess the job satisfaction of nursing staff and (2) identify differences in the job satisfaction of nursing staff in relation to demographic variables. This study is part of a larger project that will nurses’ job satisfaction in multiple countries to provide requisite groundwork for interventional work.

This study was conducted in collaboration with one large, research and teaching hospital in the United Stated Midwest. All employees with the credentials including Registered Nurse were invited to participate. The Kuopio University Hospital Job Satisfaction Scale, a previously validated and reliable survey- questionnaire, was distributed via institutional email with a link to the anonymous, electronic survey. Data were collected electronically and downloaded from the survey website into Excel. Subsequently, data were transferred into an SPSS 23 © data sheet for analysis. Analysis of Variance, Kruskall-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney U statistical techniques were utilized to analyze data and address project Aims. Results of data analysis indicated that many variables contributing to job satisfaction are consistent across age and demographics. Specifically, working welfare, or wellness measures, and level of education were significantly correlated with job satisfaction across ages. Additionally, job satisfaction overall was significantly linked to whether participants were actively searching for new jobs.

Health care organizations can tailor retention efforts to target aspects of the work environment that are significantly linked to job satisfaction among particular demographic groups of nurses. This research should be replicated among a multi-generational nursing workforce and through a multicultural lens to provide generalizable results for interventional work.

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