Job satisfaction among nursing personnel in Hong Kong: a questionnaire survey

Aims To investigate the perceived importance and actual level of job satisfaction among enrolled nurses (ENs), registered nurses (RNs), specialty nurses (SNs) and nurse managers (NMs) in Hong Kong. Background In the past, few studies have been conducted to investigate job satisfaction among different groups of nursing personnel. Methods This was a cross-sectional study. Stamps and Piedmonte's Index of Work Satisfaction (IWS) Scale was used to measure the level of job satisfaction. Results Six hundred and seventy-two nursing personnel from two large hospitals participated in this study. Discrepancies were found between the perceived importance and the actual satisfaction of job components among nursing personnel. The level of job satisfaction varied by position (F-3,F-668 = 28.83, P < 0.001). Tukey's post-hoc tests further indicated that RNs had the lowest job satisfaction. The IWS scores for ENs, RNs, SNs and NMs were 12.3, 11.2, 12.5 and 13, respectively. Each group shared and had its own unique factors associated with its job satisfaction. Conclusion The perceived importance and actual satisfaction with the six job components among nursing personnel varied by position. Implications for nursing management Administrators should be aware that strategies to improve job satisfaction should be specific to job titles. No single strategy is appropriate for all nursing personnel.