Table 1 Summary of Job Satisfaction Studies in Long-Term Care Settings

Murphy (2004) [30]

Job Descriptive Index (JDI)

Work on present job

Pay

149 nursing home administrators in Iowa

Most dissatisfied with coworkers and pay

Opportunities for promotion

Supervision

Co-workers

Job in general

Parsons et al. (2003) [31]

Modified from Herzberg (1966)

Personal opportunity

Supervision

550 NAs in 70 facilities in Louisiana

Most dissatisfied with pay, benefits, and recognition

Benefits

Coworker support

Social rewards

Task rewards

Moyle et al. (2003) [32]

N/A

Workplace flexibility

27 RNs and NAs in one facility in Australia

Satisfaction was linked to workplace flexibility, residents, team environment, and better resident care

Team environment

Optimal resident care

Chou, Boldy, & Lee (2002) [13,33]

Measure of Job Satisfaction (MJS)

Professional support

Seventy facilities with 610 nursing home staff and 373 hostel care staff in Australia

Job satisfaction is associated with professional support

Personal satisfaction

Workload

Training

Team spirit/co-workers

Will & Simmons (1999) [34]

Job Descriptive Index (JDI)

Work on present job

Pay

423 NAs in 29 nursing homes in Ohio

Satisfied most with work and least with pay

Opportunities for promotion

Supervision

Co-workers

Job in general

Atchison (1998) [35]

Job Diagnostic Survey

Satisfaction

283 NAs in 24 nursing homes

Job satisfaction lowest for security, growth/development, socialization, and challenges

Job security

Coworkers

Sense of accomplishment

Helping other people

Dissatisfaction

Pay/benefits

Potential for job growth

Management

Autonomy

Kiyak, Namazi, & Kahana (1997) [36]

Job Descriptive Index (JDI)

Work on present job

Pay

308 nursing home and community agency staff

Higher dissatisfaction associated with turnover

Opportunities for promotion

Supervision

Co-workers

Job in general

Gillies, Foreman, & Pettengill (1996) [14]

Index of Work Satisfaction (IWS)

Autonomy Interaction

44 nurse directors and nurse educators working in long-term care facilities

Job satisfaction highest for interactions, autonomy, and professional status

Agency policies

Pay

Professional status

Task requirement

Grieshaber, Parker, & Deering (1995) [1]

Work environment

Two nursing homes

Job content

Irvine & Evans (1995)+ [6]

N/A

Routinization

Meta-analyses with combined sample size of 5,352

Work content and work environment are more strongly associated with job satisfaction than economic variables

Autonomy

Feedback

Role conflict

Role ambiguity

Work overload

Coward et al. (1995) [15]

Modified Stamps and Piedmonte (1986) scale [IWS]

Professional status

281 RNs and LPNs from 26 nursing homes

Five factors associated with job satisfaction (race, income, supervisor, initial intent to stay, current intent to leave)

Task requirement

Autonomy

Interactions with other nurses

Pay

Monahan & Carthy (1992) [37]

N/A

Attachment

75 NAs at 7 nursing homes

Attachment most related to retention of NAs

Gratification

Demands

Monetary needs

Decision-making

Grau et al. (1991) [38]

Combined several scales

Job process

219 NAs in one nursing home

Social atmosphere and job benefits associated with institutional loyalty

Attitudes toward administration

Social atmosphere

Job benefits

Job tasks

Anderson, Aird, & Haslam (1991) [39]

NG

None

212 nursing staff in 6 nursing homes

Nursing staff have high levels of satisfaction, but is associated with absenteeism

Humphris & Turner (1989) [40]

Porter (1962) scale

Working conditions

84 nurses at a unit for the elderly severely mentally infirm

Low satisfaction was associated with turnover from unit

Emotional climate

General

Mullins et al. (1988) [41]

Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS)

Pay

Heads of departments (n = 439) from 46 nursing homes

Most satisfied when individual efforts are rewarded

Promotion

Supervision

Benefits

Rewards/appreciation

Working conditions

Coworkers

Nature of job

Communication

Deckard, Hicks & Rountree (1986) [42]

Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS)

Skill variety

340 nurses from a nursing home chain

Job satisfaction was similar to norms in other occupations

Task identity

Task significance

Autonomy

Job feedback

Waxman et al. (1984) [43]

Minnesota Satisfaction Scale

Job Satisfaction Scale

234 NAs in 7 facilities, uses 20 questions for overall job satisfaction score

Positive association between job satisfaction and turnover

Bergman et al. (1984) [44]

None

Job

12 long-term care facilities and 432 RNs, LPNs, and NAs

Descriptive results provided

Knowledge, skill, and attitudes

Autonomy

Stress