Measuring community nurses' job satisfaction: literature review.

AIM: This paper is a report of a review of the literature on community nurses' job satisfaction, including research using different scales and settings, what is known to date and directions for future research. BACKGROUND: Job satisfaction is one of the strongest predictors of intent to stay and retention of nurses. An adequate understanding of the sources of job satisfaction and their importance can aid policymakers in the community nursing setting to cope with the growing demand for its services. DATA SOURCES: A database of papers was established using ISI Web of Knowledge. Cited references were used to expand the database. Journals adding to the database were scanned for related research. This technique was repeated until no additional papers could be found. FINDINGS: Twelve job satisfaction scales were found, with striking differences in methodology, settings and sample characteristics of the studies concerned. A wide variety of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction sources is identified, but little is known on their relative importance. The Measure of Job Satisfaction and the Home Healthcare Nurses' Job Satisfaction Scale prove highly reliable and applicable. CONCLUSION: Findings on the level and sources of community nurses' job satisfaction are ambiguous. Of all the scales reviewed, the Home Healthcare Nurses' Job Satisfaction Scale seems most promising for use in future research, based on its strong psychometric properties and its specificity for the community nursing setting.

Freshmen in nursing: job motives and work values of a new generation.

AIM: To identify the features young nurses look for in their job (job motives) and the features they look for in work in general (work values). BACKGROUND: In view of the shortage of appropriately educated and motivated nurses, a study of the motivational profile of the new generation nurses may provide additional insights. METHOD: In a survey, 344 newly graduate Belgian nurses were questioned. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that many of the traditional attractions are still important, with the recurrent issue of altruism. Furthermore, men are found to be more attracted by career opportunities, executive powers and autonomy, while women tend to attach more importance to interpersonal characteristics. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: When considering the new generation nurses, budget cuts and restructuring must be handled with prudence, due to the risk of crowding out the altruistic and interpersonal work features, which determine the specificity of the nursing job.

Identifying nurses' rewards: a qualitative categorization study in Belgium.

BACKGROUND: Rewards are important in attracting, motivating and retaining the most qualified employees, and nurses are no exception to this rule. This makes the establishment of an efficient reward system for nurses a true challenge for every hospital manager. A reward does not necessarily have a financial connotation: non-financial rewards may matter too, or may even be more important. Therefore, the present study examines nurses' reward perceptions, in order to identify potential reward options. METHODS: To answer the research question "What do nurses consider a reward and how can these rewards be categorized?", 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews with nurses were conducted and analysed using discourse and content analyses. In addition, the respondents received a list of 34 rewards (derived from the literature) and were asked to indicate the extent to which they perceived each of them to be rewarding. RESULTS: Discourse analysis revealed three major reward categories: financial, non-financial and psychological, each containing different subcategories. In general, nurses more often mentioned financial rewards spontaneously in the interview, compared to non-financial and psychological rewards. The questionnaire results did not, however, indicate a significant difference in the rewarding potential of these three categories. Both the qualitative and quantitative data revealed that a number of psychological and non-financial rewards were important for nurses in addition to their monthly pay and other remunerations. In particular, appreciation for their work by others, compliments from others, presents from others and contact with patients were highly valued. Moreover, some demographical variables influenced the reward perceptions. Younger and less experienced nurses considered promotion possibilities as more rewarding than the older and more senior ones. The latter valued job security and working for a hospital with a good reputation higher than their younger and more junior colleagues. CONCLUSION: When trying to establish an efficient reward system for nurses, hospital managers should not concentrate on the financial reward possibilities alone. They also ought to consider non-financial and psychological rewards (in combination with financial rewards), since nurses value these as well and they may lead to a more personalized reward system.