Registered nurse job satisfaction and satisfaction with the professional practice model

This paper describes the initial assessment of job satisfaction and satisfaction with the professional practice environment of registered nurses working on units where a professional practice model was implemented and the relationship between these two variables.

The nursing shortage has been linked to overall job satisfaction and specifically to nurses' satisfaction with the professional practice environment. Initiatives to increase retention and recruitment and decrease turnover have been linked to work satisfaction among nurses.

A descriptive, cross-sectional design was used with participants (N = 101) from four patient care units; this represented a 55% response rate.

The nurses were moderately satisfied with the professional practice environment but had overall low job satisfaction. There was a significant negative relationship between overall work satisfaction and satisfaction with the professional practice environment (P < 0.0001).

The introduction of the professional practice model may have raised awareness of the components of job satisfaction that were not being met. Thus, the nurses may have become more knowledgeable about the potential needs in these areas.

Nurse managers and leaders must recognize that job satisfaction consists of many dimensions, and each of these dimensions is important to nurse retention. Implementation of a professional practice model may heighten awareness of the missing components within a practice environment and lead to decreased overall satisfaction. A broader understanding of characteristics associated with increased satisfaction may aid in development of organizational change necessary to retain and attract nurses.