Job satisfaction of hospital pharmacy technicians in North Carolina

Factors related to job satisfaction among pharmacy technicians in North Carolina hospitals were studied. To gather data on job satisfaction, job function, and work attitudes, a questionnaire was designed and sent to pharmacy directors and technicians at 83 North Carolina hospitals. The 389 responses represented response rates of 70.3% for technicians and 91.6% for directors. Pharmacy technicians had significantly lower job satisfaction scores (p = 0.05) for work pay, promotion, and coworkers than those reported elsewhere for other workers. There was no difference between technicians and other workers in satisfaction with supervisors. Pharmacy technicians were most satisfied with their supervisors and coworkers, least satisfied with their pay and promotion outlook, and neutral about their work. Higher satisfaction scores were found for technicians who (1) worked in smaller hospitals, (2) performed a wider variety of tasks, or (3) were over 35 years old. Directors judged technician attitudes toward their work to be slightly higher than the technicians did. The study indicates that, in addition to monetary reward, careful consideration of nonmonetary rewards and job functions could contribute to greater technician job satisfaction.