Exploring generational cohort work satisfaction in hospital nurses.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Organizational Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• Extensive research exists on job satisfaction, but often employs restrictive quantitative methods.
• Understanding nurse job satisfaction is crucial for healthcare retention and quality of care.
• Generational differences may influence perceptions of work satisfaction among nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To qualitatively explore hospital nurses' perceptions of work satisfaction.
• To examine job satisfaction within distinct generational cohorts: Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials.
• To identify themes related to key factors influencing nurse job satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative, phenomenological study design.
• Personal interviews conducted with 15 full-time staff nurses across generational cohorts.
• Analysis of transcribed interviews to identify themes related to seven established work satisfaction factors (pay, autonomy, task requirements, administration, doctor-nurse relationship, interaction, professional status).

Main Results:

• The seven established factors of job satisfaction were confirmed as important.
• Similarities and differences in job satisfaction perceptions were observed between generational cohorts.
• These variations were linked to a combination of life stages and generational attributes.

Conclusions:

• While results are venue-specific, findings are transferable to other healthcare organizations.
• Healthcare organizations are encouraged to conduct similar research to compare findings.
• This study uniquely applies quantitative factors to a qualitative inquiry on generational job satisfaction in nursing.