NURSES' PERCEPTIONS OF THE CLINICAL LADDER'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THEIR LEVELS OF JOB SATISFACTION AND DISSATISFACTION.
Contributors: University of Virginia.
Published: 1993
Number of pages: 122
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Health Care Management.
Description: Purpose. The purpose of this descriptive study was to apply Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory to an investigation of the differences in perceptions about the contribution of the clinical ladder to job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction among nurses working on various levels of the clinical ladder.

Sample. The convenience sample consisted of 140 registered nurses who were employed by a magnet hospital located in the Southwest, and who had a position on the clinical ladder of this hospital for at least six months.

Instruments. Sluyter and Mukherjee's (1986) Job Satisfaction Survey, based on Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory, was used to measure levels of job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction. An adaptation of this instrument (Impact of the Clinical Ladder on My Job) was used to measure nurses' perceptions of the clinical ladder as a contributor to these levels of job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction.

Procedure. Registered nurses were asked to complete the two study questionnaires and a demographic data form.

Data analysis. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Findings. The sample of 140 registered nurses was distributed among three levels of the clinical ladder with 56% (77) on Level I, 33% (45) on Level II and 11% (15) on Level III. Overall, the nurses were satisfied with the various aspects of their job. While there were no differences among the three groups in level of job satisfaction, there were statistically significant differences among the three groups on their perceptions of the clinical ladder's impact on certain job satisfiers and dissatisfiers. Level I nurses more often perceived the clinical ladder to have no impact on job satisfiers and dissatisfiers. Level II nurses more often perceived the clinical ladder to improve the amount of responsibility they have, their supervisor's treatment of them, their sense of achievement, and their job stability. Level III nurses more often perceived the clinical ladder as improving their sense of accomplishment, the way their supervisor treats them, their creativity, their sense of importance, their amount of responsibility, and their opportunity for promotion.

Implications. The clinical ladder's contributions to nurses' levels of job satisfaction and ability to provide motivational factors to all levels of nurses needs further study.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-07, Section: B, page: 3548.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, 1993.

School code: 0246.