Investing in human capital: exploring causes, consequences and solutions to nurses' dissatisfaction

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Workforce Studies
• Human Capital Management

Background:

• Human capital is the most critical asset in healthcare delivery.
• Nurses experience significant burnout and job dissatisfaction, impacting retention rates.
• UK data shows a concerning trend of more nurses leaving the profession than joining.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review literature on the importance of human capital in UK healthcare.
• To focus on factors influencing job satisfaction among nurses.
• To explore causes, consequences, and solutions for nursing job dissatisfaction.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review was performed.
• The review focused on identifying key factors affecting nurse job satisfaction.
• Findings related to causes, consequences, and potential solutions were summarized.

Main Results:

• Job satisfaction is influenced by pay, respect, workload, recognition, autonomy, and administrative factors.
• Organizational compassion is identified as a potential key solution to improve job satisfaction.
• Addressing these factors is vital for improving the nursing work environment.

Conclusions:

• Standardized tools for measuring job satisfaction are needed for consistent, comparable data across hospitals.
• Improved understanding of job satisfaction can aid in nurse recruitment and retention strategies.
• Addressing nurse dissatisfaction is critical for both NHS and independent healthcare sectors.