Job satisfaction of community nurses working with people with a mental handicap

There is a dearth of studies on the job satisfaction of community nurses, especially those working with people with a mental handicap, in the United Kingdom. This paper reports on some of the data gathered as part of a survey of community nurses (mental handicap) (CNMH) in Northern Ireland in 1992. A 25-item questionnaire was sent to all 50 CNMH. The response rate was 72%. The results showed that most of these CNMH rated their level of satisfaction as high or very high. Additionally, they identified a number of factors which contributed to their job satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction. These findings have implications for theory building, methodology and nursing practice.