Canadian public health nurses' job satisfaction

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Public Health
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Assessing public health nurse (PHN) job satisfaction is crucial for practice development and capacity building.
• Standardized measurement tools are needed for ongoing evaluation of PHN job satisfaction.
• Changing practice environments necessitate reliable methods to track workforce morale.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the applicability of a standardized questionnaire for measuring public health nurse (PHN) job satisfaction.
• To determine changes in PHN job satisfaction over a 30-month period.
• To establish baseline job satisfaction levels for PHNs using a validated instrument.

Main Methods:

• A repeated measures descriptive survey design was employed over 30 months.
• A randomly selected sample of 87 public health nurses (PHNs) from a Canadian regional health authority participated.
• The Index of Worklife Satisfaction questionnaire assessed importance and satisfaction across six job components.

Main Results:

• Pay and autonomy were identified as the most important job satisfaction components.
• Professional status, autonomy, and interaction were the most satisfying components.
• Significant improvements in PHN satisfaction with professional status and interaction were observed over 30 months.
• Direct client care and making a difference were frequently cited as highly satisfying aspects of worklife.

Conclusions:

• The Index of Worklife Satisfaction questionnaire proved to be a valid and reliable tool for measuring PHN job satisfaction.
• The study established baseline job satisfaction levels for public health nurses.
• The findings support the use of this questionnaire for ongoing monitoring of PHN job satisfaction.