Job satisfaction in public health: a comparative analysis of five occupational groups

Five occupational groups of public health workers (health administrators, nursing personnel, environmental health personnel, other public health workers, and public health support staff) from nine county health departments in the midwestern United States were statistically compared to uncover similarities and differences in job satisfaction/dissatisfaction that might be important in planning effective intervention programmes designed to improve satisfaction on the job. Each participant in the study (n = 602) completed three validated job satisfaction/dissatisfaction instruments: the Job Descriptive Index, the Job in General scale and the Occupational Needs Questionnaire. Several discernable trends in job satisfaction/dissatisfaction were identified among the groups. In general, health administrators appeared to be more satisfied with their jobs compared to the other groups, especially with regard to the actual work performed. Public health support staff, on the other hand, seemed to be the least satisfied group, particularly with respect to pay. The greatest source of dissatisfaction among all the groups appeared to be the lack of promotional opportunities.