WORK FACTORS IMPORTANT AND SATISFYING TO STAFF REGISTERED NURSES EMPLOYED IN MIDSIZE HOSPITALS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
Contributors: Columbia University. Teachers College.
Published: 1990
Number of pages: 162
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Business Administration, Management.; Sociology, Industrial and Labor Relations.
Description: The purpose of this study was to determine the work factors important and satisfying to staff nurses employed in midsize hospitals. The descriptive design used a representative sample of 1906 nurses from 50 randomly selected hospitals. Importance and satisfaction levels (each on a scale of 1 to 5) were measured for 66 factors in the Nurses and Hospitals Work Survey.

Data collection incorporated contacting interested chief nurses, distributing and receiving completed returned surveys, and sending follow-up letters. Thirteen hundred and forty-five nurses participated for a 70% response rate.

Data analysis included frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Relationships between importance/satisfaction levels and groups of hospital factors were determined using correlations.

Major findings included high levels of significant positive relationships for importance and satisfaction ratings for grouped hospital factors. Fifty-six items were rated as "important" or "very important." The most important factor cited was a safe nurse-patient ratio. Other important factors included competence of physicians, adequate experienced personnel assigned to each shift, and working in the clinical area of choice. Salary was the 9th highest rated item on importance. Older nurses listed more than twice as many very important items than did younger nurses. Female nurses had 6 more "very important" items than did males.

Nurses were most satisfied with coworker relationships, the work challenge, and their choice of clinical areas. Outpatient nurses were satisfied with more work factors than were other nurses.

The majority of factors, however, were found to be only slightly satisfying. Nurses were least satisfied with child care, floating, weekend work, research opportunities, and unit recognition awards.

The number of important hospital factors was extensive. High levels of satisfaction continue to remain elusive for staff registered nurses working in hospitals nationwide. Reversing the dissatisfaction which appears frequently among staff nurses is practical and necessary if retaining experienced nurses is important to hospital administrators.

Limitations were cited. Additional research should include further refinement of the instrument, longitudinal surveys of the sample, and in depth extensive examination of the separate groups within the sample.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-03, Section: B, page: 1197.

Thesis (ED.D.)--COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHERS COLLEGE, 1990.

School code: 0055.