Factors affecting allied health faculty job satisfaction: a literature review

Evidence in the literature suggests job satisfaction can make a difference in keeping qualified workers on the job, but little research has been conducted focusing specifically on allied health faculty. In order to attract and retain top quality faculty, colleges and universities should understand the variables impacting faculty satisfaction and develop a plan to enhance satisfaction. An integrative literature review (CINHAL, ERIC, Journal of Allied Health, Chronicle of Higher Education, Research in Higher Education, and current books on job satisfaction) of faculty job satisfaction and dissatisfaction produced a variety of publications presenting the key determinants of job satisfaction by allied health faculty in the United States. The purpose of the analysis was to examine the various factors that influence job satisfaction, especially by allied health faculty, in institutions of higher education in the U.S. The procedure used for this analysis consisted of reviewing allied health and higher education faculty studies to identify factors influencing job satisfaction, research questions, sample size reported, instruments used for measurement of job satisfaction, and job satisfaction results. While the theoretical models of allied health and higher education faculty job satisfaction exist separately in the literature, their remarkable similarities permit the prospect of a contemporary framework of the essential components of job satisfaction. Potential opportunities for continuing research on the personal and professional variables impacting job satisfaction of allied health faculty and similar disciplines are presented.