Development of a multidimensional scale to measure work satisfaction among pharmacy faculty members

Objectives. To develop a multidimensional scale to measure work satisfaction among pharmacy faculty members and determine its reliability and validity. Methods. A literature review was used to assist in the generation of 36 statements that putatively comprise the satisfaction construct. The 25 items meeting a priori criteria in a modified Delphi procedure were included in a questionnaire sent by e- mail to 4,228 pharmacy faculty members. Principal axis factoring and scale purification procedures were used to identify a plausible factor structure. Results. Using responses acquired from 885 pharmacy faculty members, 6 domains of work satisfaction were identified: resources for scholarship, institutional support and reward, requirements for tenure and promotion, availability of a graduate program, collegiality, and teaching environment. The overall measure demonstrated construct validity, while each domain subscale exhibited relatively high internal consistency reliability. Conclusions. The overall work satisfaction measure and each subscale derived from composite domains can be used to identify sources of discontent and/ or track interventions designed to improve work satisfaction.