Job orientation and motivation of cytotechnologists

Little is known about what motivates cytotechnologists as a distinct group. The Job Attitude Survey (JAS), developed by Shoukry Saleh, was applied to a cohort of 261 cytotechnologists. The group was divided between nondegreed cytotechnologists (CTs) (n = 97) and bachelor's degreed cytotechnologists (BSCTs) (n = 164) to see if there were noticeable motivational differences between the two. No statistical difference was found between the two groups. Compared to other groups of professionals who had previously taken the JAS, cytotechnologists ranked responsibility as a very low factor, demonstrating that it does not function as a motivator. In contrast, salary was ranked very high by cytotechnologists, suggesting it functions as a large dissatisfier. Based upon these findings, educational attainment changes the cytotechnologists' attitude very little. The findings are also consistent with the views that JAS-type surveys are important and that both motivators and dissatisfiers should be addressed in order to improve retention of cytotechnologists.