Determinants of job satisfaction in nursing care units

Considerable attention has been placed on containing health care costs through structural approaches and budgetary means. Often overlooked in this process are costs associated to employee turnover and absenteeism. One of the important contributing factors to this withdrawal behavior is job satisfaction. Unfortunately few studies have explored the factors which influence the job satisfaction of health care workers. This study, using data collected from four hospitals, identifies fifteen factors that make major contributions to predicting the job satisfaction of nursing employees. This research suggests that the job satisfaction of nursing aides is influenced by procedures and practices that are organizational in their impact, by interactions with the work team and supervisor, and the daily activities of the nursing job. By understanding the interactive nature of these factors on job satisfaction, improvements in absenteeism and turnover can be realized with a reduction in personnel costs and improvements in quality of care.