Factors influencing job satisfaction on specialty nursing units

In the midst of downsizing, restructuring, layoffs, hospital closures, mergers, and the beginning cycle of shortages in specialty units, nursing administrators must extend their understanding of the factors influencing job satisfaction and the implications these findings may have for nursing practice, in order to enhance the quality of worklife for nurses in a hospital setting and create competitive work environments. The Causal Model of Job Satisfaction for Nurses (Blegen & Mueller, 1987), including Leatt and Schneck's (1981) technology variable, was the conceptual framework used to look at the effect of the 14 variables (opportunity, routinization, autonomy, job communication, social integration, distributive justice, promotional opportunity, motivation, pay, workload, general training, kinship responsibility, unit size, technology) on job satisfaction. This study demonstrated a statistically significant positive correlation between autonomy, motivation and job satisfaction and a statistically significant negative correlation between routinization and job satisfaction.