This descriptive, cross-sectional study examines the relationship of job satisfaction, turnover cognitions, job search behavior, and nurse demographics to work engagement among a sample of 167 registered nurses employed on medical and/or surgical units within six hospitals. Professional status, interaction, and thinking of quitting together explain 46%, F(3,160) = 47.546, p < .001, of the variance in work engagement. Additionally, the job satisfaction components of professional status and interaction are shown to significantly moderate the relationship between thinking of quitting and work engagement (t = 1.96, p < .05). Results suggest improvements in work environment processes that are consistent with professional status and interaction at work, such as integration of a professional nursing practice model and development and positioning of transformational leaders at every level of the organization, are needed.

Predictors of work engagement among medical-surgical registered nurses.

Aims and objectives: To assess Malaysian nurses' perceived job satisfaction and to determine whether any association exists between job satisfaction and intention to leave current employment. 

Background: There is currently a shortage of qualified nurses, and healthcare organisations often face challenges in retaining trained nurses. Job satisfaction has been identified as a factor that influences nurse turnover. However, this has not been widely explored in Malaysia. 

Design: Cross-sectional survey. 

Methods: Registered nurses in a teaching hospital in Malaysia completed a self-administered questionnaire. Of the 150 questionnaires distributed, 141 were returned (response rate = 94%). 

Results: Overall, nurses had a moderate level of job satisfaction, with higher satisfaction for motivational factors. Significant effects were observed between job satisfaction and demographic variables. About 40% of the nurses intended to leave their current employment. Furthermore, age, work experience and nursing education had significant associations with intention to leave. Logistic regression analysis revealed that job satisfaction was a significant and independent predictor of nurses' intention to leave after controlling for demographic variables. 

Conclusion: The results suggest that there is a significant association between job satisfaction and nurses' intention to leave their current employment. It adds to the existing literature on the relationship between nurses' job satisfaction and intention to leave. 

Relevance to clinical practice: Methods for enhancing nurses' job satisfaction are vital to promote the long-term retention of nurses within organisations. Attention must be paid to the needs of younger nurses, as they represent the majority of the nursing workforce and often have lower satisfaction and greater intention to leave than older nurses do. Strategies to nurture younger nurses, such as providing opportunities for further education, greater management decision-making capabilities and flexible working environment, are essential.

The relationship between job satisfaction and intention to leave current employment among registered nurses in a teaching hospital.

Background:Many nurses desire 12-hour shifts. However, there are concerns about implementation.Objective:We sought to compare the effects of 8- and 12-hour shifts on nurse, system, and quality patient care outcomes.Methods:We used a cross-sectional design with data collected from multiple sources in

Comparison of nurse, system and quality patient care outcomes in 8-hour and 12-hour shifts

Using cross-sectional data from the 2004 National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) RN Satisfaction Survey, differences in RN workgroup job satisfaction were examined among 10 unit types--medical-surgical, step-down, critical care, pediatric, maternal-newborn, psychiatric, emergency department, rehabilitation, surgical services, and outpatient clinics and labs. The national sample included RN workgroups in 2,900 patient care units (55,516 RNs; 206 hospitals in 44 states). Workgroup satisfaction across all unit types was moderate. RN workgroups in pediatric units were the most satisfied, whereas those in surgical services and emergency department unit types were least satisfied. A consistent finding across all unit types was high satisfaction with the specific domains of nurse-to-nurse interaction, professional status, and professional development versus much lower satisfaction with task, decision making, and pay. Findings can be used to inform and develop investigations that examine specific aspects of the work environment for RN workgroups in various unit types.

Unit type differences in RN workgroup job satisfaction

This systematic review assesses the validity of epidemiological questionnaires used to measure psychosocial and organizational work factors (POWFs) in nurses Of the 632 articles published between 1980 and July 2008 identified in this review, 108 provide some data concerning analysis of the intrinsic characteristics of such instruments (content validity or conceptual basis, reliability, validation of internal construction) and their external validity with respect to health aspects (concurrent validity and predictive validity) Psychometric properties of generalist questionnaires validated among blue collar or white collar workers were also assessed in the nurse population The Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), because of its longevity and reputation, was the generalist questionnaire most used among this population Although its structure often raises questions in the nurse population, its dimensions (mainly the control one) have been shown to be predictive of some health outcomes measured with "objective" indicators concerning absenteeism, injuries, and musculoskeletal disorders Effort Reward Imbalance (ERI), which has a structure more stable among the nurse population, has shown concurrent validity in terms of intent to leave the nursing profession No questionnaire specifically designed for nurses can claim to satisfy all of the recommendations in terms of internal validity Nevertheless, the Practice Environment Scale-Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) seems to be one of the most promising instruments because of its appropriateness (content validity), its structure, which has a rather good fit (construct validity), its ability to discriminate magnet hospitals like other NWI derivates (discriminant validity), and it has also been associated in cross-sectional studies with health outcomes, especially nurses' self-assessed mental health but also with patients' health outcomes objectively assessed (concurrent validity) However, elements for predictive validity are still lacking with NWI derivates The Discussion provides recommendations for measuring POWFs, encompassing the use of external validated measurements

Reliability, validity, and health issues arising from questionnaires used to measure Psychosocial and Organizational Work Factors (POWFs) among hospital nurses: a critical review.

The valid measurement of nurses' job satisfaction is critical because job satisfaction is important for the retention of qualified nurses to provide patient care in hospitals. Two studies were conducted to adapt the Stamps Index of Work Satisfaction (1997b) to measure work satisfaction at the patient care unit level for use by the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI). In Study 1 (n = 918 RNs) exploratory factor analysis of data obtained using the NDNQI-Adapted Index replicated the conceptual dimensions of the Stamps measure. Associations with scores on Job Enjoyment were evidence that the Index measured the intended construct. Using theta, the reliability of the composite subscales was .91. The adapted Work Satisfaction subscale scores explained 46% of the variance in Job Enjoyment, with each subscale contributing uniquely (p < .001). In Study 2 (n = 2277 RNs) confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modeling supported the 7-subscale structure for the Adapted Index (CFI [719] = .88; RMR = .05). Replication of associations between scores on the Index subscales and Job Enjoyment provided further evidence regarding validity of the data, since the Work Satisfaction subscales explained 56% of the variance in Job Enjoyment. The feasibility of using an on-line version of the Adapted-Index for data collection was demonstrated. The findings from the two studies indicate that the adapted Index of Work Satisfaction has a structure similar to the original instrument and is a reliable and valid measure of work satisfaction at the patient care unit level.

Carol Elliott

Papers

The NDNQI-Adapted Index of work satisfaction.

Effect of distance and infusion rate on operation of Medfusion 2010 infusion pump during magnetic resonance imaging.