Job satisfaction among U.S. pharmacists

A review of the literature on job satisfaction that is relevant to pharmacists is presented. Studies conducted in the United States between 1951 and 1982 were evaluated to answer two questions: (1) What is known about the level of job satisfaction among pharmacists? and (2) What factors are related to pharmacists' job satisfaction? Some study populations were selected on the basis of work setting, others on position in the job hierarchy, and others on different criteria. Job satisfaction measures were of two general types, facet-free measures, which assess overall satisfaction, and facet-specific measures, which gauge satisfaction with respect to a specific aspect of the job. Pharmacists in the studies represented a wide variety of work settings and geographic locations. Most of the studies were not comparable because they used instruments unique to a particular study. In some cases, response rates were low and sample sizes were small. Frequently, results were not analyzed statistically for significance. A few studies compared pharmacists with other job populations; the differences were not striking, although pharmacists may be slightly less satisfied with their specific jobs than the general public. Repeatedly, job position and ability utilization appeared related to pharmacists' job satisfaction. Further study of the extent, causes, and consequences of pharmacists' job satisfaction is needed. Research methods should be designed so that results can be analyzed and compared statistically.