OCCUPATIONAL SATISFACTION LEVEL OF NURSES IN TWO RURAL HOSPITAL SETTINGS: IMPLICATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL (MANAGEMENT, HEALTH, DISSATISFACTION).
Contributors: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
Published: 1984
Number of pages: 130
Subjects: Health Sciences, Health Care Management.
Description: The purpose of this study was to examine the occupational satisfaction level of rural hospital nurses in relation to specific components of job satisfaction. These components included; pay, autonomy, task requirements, organizational requirements, interaction, and job prestige/status.

One hundred sixty-seven (63%) of 264 R.N.s and L.P.N.s employed in two rural hospitals in Southern Illinois responded to a two-part questionnaire, Part A, the Paired Comparisons Scale which assessed the importance of job components and Part B, the Attitude Scale which assessed the satisfaction with job components. The typical respondent was female (95.8%), between 20 and 29 years of age (34.9%), and was assigned to general floor duty (43.3%). Most respondents worked the day-shift (52.1%) and were employed on a full-time basis (74.3%). A mode of 53 indicated that 31.9% had been employed more than three years but less than seven years.

Two-way analysis of variance revealed that three of the six hypotheses were untenable. There was a significant difference between R.N.s and L.P.N.s in relation to the component, autonomy, at less than the .001 alpha level; there was a significant difference between R.N.s and L.P.N.s among two of the three working shifts in relation to the component, interaction, at the .005 alpha level; there was a significant difference between R.N.s and L.P.N.s in relation to the component, task requirements, at less that the .05 alpha level; and there was a significant difference between R.N.s and L.P.N.s on their overall levels of job satisfaction at less than the .05 alpha level. No significant interaction effect was found between education and shift on any of the components of job satisfaction; no significant difference was found between R.N.s and L.P.N.s among each of the working shifts in terms of their overall levels of job satisfaction; and no significant interaction effect was found between education and shift on the total Index of Work Satisfaction.

This study suggested ways to improve the occupational satisfaction level of nurses in two rural hospital settings in Southern Illinois. Replication of these methods to determine job satisfaction among different populations in other health care settings could allow for broader generalization.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-08, Section: B, page: 2488.

Thesis (PH.D.)--SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY AT CARBONDALE, 1984.

School code: 0209.