Supervisory support, job stress, and job satisfaction among long-term care nursing staff

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of perceived supervisory support provided by registered nursing staff on job stress and job satisfaction among nurse aides (NAs) working in long-term care. BACKGROUND: Job-related stress is a major problem for NAs working in long-term care settings leading to reduced job satisfaction. No studies have used a theoretical framework to study the nature of relationships between immediate supervisors and NAs' job stress and satisfaction. METHODS: Nurse aides from 10 facilities in Ontario (N = 222) completed measures on the supportive capacity of the supervisor (Supportive Supervisory Scale), work stressors (Expanded Nursing Job Stress Scale), and satisfaction (Job Satisfaction Scale). RESULTS: Multiple linear regression analysis supported an adaptation of Cohen-Mansfield's stress-coping model. Thirty-three percent of the total variance in job satisfaction was explained by supervisory support, stress, birthplace, and first language spoken of the NAs. Greater supervisory support was also associated with reduced job stress. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that supervisory support for NAs is an important determinant of NAs' job satisfaction.     

Long-term job satisfaction in direct nursing care

In this study the qualitative method of grounded theory was employed to investigate what enables nurses to work long-term in direct nursing care and being satisfied. This question is of actual importance in the present situation of rising costs in the health care system and increasing work pressure for the nursing staff. Five nurses with at least ten years of work experience participated in seven interviews. Data analysis revealed coping with difficulties as the core concept. All respondents had to deal with difficult situations in their daily working routine, which occasionally have been experienced as overwhelming. Important conditions for coping with difficulties are the personal development, the cooperation with others and the taking care of oneself. If this can be done successfully, it is possible to take over central responsibilities in nursing care, to act in a competent and purposeful way, and to care for others, which is a condition for long-term job satisfaction. The focuses described in the literature--cooperation, engagement and coping with stress--were found as central contents in this investigation. The findings for the most part are congruent with the results of other studies. The implications for practice focus on working conditions and possibilities of support, which help nurses to deal with the difficulties encountered in their daily work.     

Impact of critical social empowerment on psychological empowerment and job satisfaction in nursing and midwifery settings

casey m., saunders j. & o'hara t. (2010) Journal of Nursing Management   18, 24–34
Impact of critical social empowerment on psychological empowerment and job satisfaction in nursing and midwifery settings
Aim  To test an expanded model of empowerment which specifies the relationships between structural, psychological, critical social empowerment and job satisfaction.
Background  There is evidence that structural empowerment predicts psychological empowerment and these two dimensions of empowerment are independent predictors of job satisfaction. This study explored a third dimension of empowerment – critical social empowerment – and its impact on psychological empowerment and job satisfaction.
Method  A predictive, non-experimental design in a sample of 306 nurses and midwives in Ireland using the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire, the Psychological Empowerment Questionnaire, a researcher developed tool to measure critical social empowerment and a job satisfaction questionnaire.
Results  While both structural and critical social empowerment were significant independent predictors of psychological empowerment and job satisfaction, critical social empowerment was the stronger predictor.
Conclusions  The findings support the inclusion of the critical social dimension of empowerment in the understanding of empowerment.
Implications for nursing management  Managers at all levels must attend to critical social empowerment as well as structural empowerment in order to increase job satisfaction, retention and engagement of highly qualified committed nurses and midwives.     

Types and sources of social support for managing job stress in critical care nursing

The theoretical model of occupational stress developed by LaRocco, House, and French, (1980) was tested in relation to job stress in critical care nursing. A sample of 164 female critical care nurses was obtained from eight hospitals. The variables of perceived social support, perceived job stress, job dissatisfaction, and psychological symptoms were measured, and specific types and sources of support were examined. Findings from the full sample supported all the main effects in the model but none of the buffering effects. For the married group, a specific type of support (work support) explained 24% of the variance of perceived job stress, nearly double that of the overall social support measure for this group. For the unmarried group, a specific source of support (from relatives) explained 10% of the variance in perceived job stress and 16% of the variance in psychological symptoms--double or triple the effect of the total network support score for the full sample.     

护理人员心理契约与工作满意度的相关性研究

目的 调查目前护理人员的心理契约、工作满意度的状况,分析两者的相关性.方法 采用问卷调查法,对6所三级甲等医院600名护理人员进行调查.结果 在心理契约方面,护理人员对自身的职责有着清楚的认识,对医院有着较高的期望,组织人际责任、组织发展责任对护理人员的责任起预测作用;工作满意度方面,护理人员对工作所得薪酬、工作的忙碌程度、工作条件、工作单位执行政策的方式、晋升机会感到最不满意.个人状况中影响心理契约及工作满意度的因素有工作目的 、职务、月收入;心理契约与工作满意度成正相关(P<0.01).结论 医院应针对组织责任中的不足之处,采取有效措施,以提高护理人员的工作满意度,促进护理事业的发展.     

Nurse autonomy,nurse job satisfaction and client satisfaction with nursing care: their place in nursing data sets

Many changes have taken place in the healthcare system that have influenced nurse autonomy, job satisfaction and client satisfaction. Standardized language facilitates communication within the discipline of nursing. Examples of such language include the Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC) and the Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC) systems as well as the Nursing Minimum Data Set (NMDS), which provides a formal structure for electronic data sets to support nursing care. The Nursing Management Minimum Data Set (NMMDS) was designed to identify variables to guide nurse managers in evaluating the impact of nursing interventions on client outcomes. Gaps within NMDS and NMMDS are discussed, and solutions are proposed.     

Effects of the medication nursing assistant role on nurse job satisfaction and stress in long-term care

Long-term care nurses continue to struggle with increasing workloads, fulfilling regulatory requirements and limited staffing resources. One method of impacting the workload is the introduction of the new medication nursing assistant (MNA) role to alleviate the nurse from prolonged time intervals spent administering medications. An early step in MNA role implementation is to evaluate its impact by comparing agencies using the MNA and those not using the role. This article presents findings from a mixed method study examining the efficacy of the MNA role in relationship to job satisfaction and the degree of perceived stress experienced by long-term care nurses. Ninety-one nurses employed at 2 large New Hampshire facilities responded. Findings offer empirical evidence supporting the use of the MNA to reduce job stress and increase satisfaction for licensed nurses. The MNA role is accepted by nurse leaders and viewed as a benefit. Findings also support a correlation between empowerment and decision making in the nursing environment with levels of nurse satisfaction.     

Perceived nursing work environment of critical care nurses

BACKGROUND: Different concepts and measures have been used to evaluate the work environment of nurses in hospital settings. There is increasing need for updated measurement tools that reflect the evolving nature of the work environment. OBJECTIVES: To report the psychometric properties of the Perceived Nursing Work Environment (PNWE) instrument, and to compare these results with those of other scales derived from the same background instrument: the Nursing Work Index-Revised. METHODS: The Nursing Work Index-Revised was used in a national survey of critical care nurses. Exploratory principal component analysis with orthogonal rotation was conducted. Psychometric properties were examined. Construct validity was evaluated by comparing the scores for a subsample of nurses in magnet and nonmagnet hospitals. RESULTS: Surveys obtained from 68 hospitals across the nation had a mean response rate of 41%, resulting in a sample of 2,324 participants. The PNWE, with its seven subscales and 42 items, explained 53% of the total variance of the Nursing Work Index-Revised. The subscales exhibited moderate to high reliabilities ranging from .70 to .91, except for one subscale (.56), and generally low intercorrelation. A similar version of the nurse-physician collaboration subscale was found in three of the other four scales compared. The positive scheduling climate subscale was a unique finding. Nurses employed at magnet hospitals had more positive perceived work environments than those employed at nonmagnet hospitals, and showed higher mean scores in four of the seven subscales (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The PNWE, a measure of the work environment as perceived by nurses, represents the latest version of the Nursing Work Index-Revised based on current practice. In this study, it exhibited sound psychometric properties. Further application and testing of the PNWE in various patient care settings is recommended.     

Practice environment, job satisfaction and burnout of critical care nurses in South Africa

klopper h.c., coetzee s.k., pretorius r. & bester p. (2012) Journal of Nursing Management  20, 685–695 Practice environment, job satisfaction and burnout of critical care nurses in South Africa Aim To describe the practice environment, job satisfaction and burnout of critical-care nurses (CCNs) in South Africa (SA) and the relationship between these variables. Background CCNs are more sensitive to job satisfaction and burnout, and several studies have been published on the relationship between these variables. However, the research that was undertaken did not focus exclusively on the practice environment of CCNs or the context of SA. Method The RN4CAST survey was used. A stratified sample of 55 private hospitals and seven national referral hospitals were included in the study. A total of 935 CCNs completed the survey. Results The practice environment is positive, except for staffing and resource adequacy, and governance. The greatest job dissatisfaction is experienced with regard to wages, opportunities for advancement and study leave. CCNs have a high degree of burnout. Conclusion The high degree of burnout is related to dissatisfaction with wages, opportunities for advancement, study leave and a practice environment with inadequate staffing and resources, and lack of nurse participation in hospital affairs. Implications for nursing management Managers should ensure that adequate numbers of CCNs are on the staff allocation and provide opportunities for CCNS to participate in policy and governance of the hospital, while giving attention to good salaries and providing opportunities for advancement and study leave.     

Perceived autonomy and job satisfaction in occupational therapists

Perceived autonomy, overall job satisfaction, and specific work incentives and disincentives were surveyed in 249 occupational therapists. Respondents rated autonomy and job satisfaction moderately high. They perceived achievement, interpersonal relationships with co-workers, and the nature of the work itself as incentives. The lack of organizational support for training, opportunity for advancement, and working conditions were seen as job disincentives. Results also showed that perceived autonomy was positively related to overall job satisfaction and to each job satisfaction factor.     

Influence of stress and nursing leadership on job satisfaction of pediatric intensive care unit nurses.

BACKGROUND: High levels of stress and the challenges of meeting the complex needs of critically ill children and their families can threaten job satisfaction and cause turnover in nurses. OBJECTIVE: To explore the influences of nurses' attributes, unit characteristics, and elements of the work environment on the job satisfaction of nurses in pediatric critical care units and to determine stressors that are unique to nurses working in pediatric critical care. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey design was used. The sample consisted of 1973 staff nurses in pediatric critical care units in 65 institutions in the United States and Canada. The following variables were measured: nurses' perceptions of group cohesion, job stress, nurse-physician collaboration, nursing leadership, professional job satisfaction, and organizational work satisfaction. RESULTS: Significant associations (r = -0.37 to r = -0.56) were found between job stress and group cohesion, professional job satisfaction, nurse-physician collaboration, nursing leadership behaviors, and organizational work satisfaction. Organizational work satisfaction was positively correlated (r = 0.35 to r = 0.56) with group cohesion, professional job satisfaction, nurse-physician collaboration, and nursing leadership behaviors. Job stress, group cohesion, job satisfaction, nurse-physician collaboration, and nursing leadership behaviors explained 52% of the variance in organizational work satisfaction. Dealing with patients' families was the most frequently cited job stressor. CONCLUSIONS: Job stress and nursing leadership are the most influential variables in the explanation of job satisfaction. Retention efforts targeted toward management strategies that empower staff to provide quality care along with focal interventions related to the diminishment of stress caused by nurse-family interactions are warranted.     

Relationship of nurses' assessment of organizational culture, job satisfaction, and patient satisfaction with nursing care.

This exploratory study investigated the relationship among staff nurses' assessment of organizational culture, job satisfaction, inpatient satisfaction with information about home care and follow-up, and general inpatient satisfaction with nursing care. A conceptual path model was tested using a secondary data analysis research design. Staff nurses and inpatients were sampled from inpatient units. The unit of analysis was patient care units. Pearson correlation and regression analyses were used. We found that strength of organizational culture predicted job satisfaction well and positively; job satisfaction predicted inpatient satisfaction significantly and positively; and inpatient satisfaction predicted general inpatient satisfaction well and positively. Methodological challenges of this study are discussed.     

Subjective stress, job satisfaction, and job performance of hospital nurses

This research concerns the relationship of subjective stress, job satisfaction, and job performance in hospital nurses. Obtained were self reports from 366 nurses, and performance ratings from 165 supervisors and 139 co-workers nominated by the original respondents. Reported are the results of exploratory path analyses, based on a general model, whereby standardized beta coefficients were used to estimate paths. The findings are that stress and job satisfaction are not directly related, and that stress, primarily acting through depression, is associated with lower levels of job performance. Job satisfaction is unrelated to job performance, and is based on depression and hostility which are affected by stress and personal characteristics.     

Effects of director of care support on job stress and job satisfaction among long-term care nurse supervisors

The provision of care for frail older adults in Long-term care settings is challenging. It requires not only specialized knowledge and skills, but also supportive commitment on the part of directors of care to their nurse supervisors (registered nurses and registered practical nurses) and unregulated healthcare staff. In these complex work environments, communication and leadership are critical to staff job satisfaction. Therefore, it is essential that directors of care represent a source of support for their nurse supervisors. The purpose of this multi-site study was to examine the relationships among perceived support from directors of care, and nurse supervisors' job stress and job satisfaction. Forty-five per cent of the total variance in job satisfaction of nurse supervisors was explained by supervisory support, stress and job category (registered nurse vs. registered practical nurse). Greater supervisory support was also associated with reduced job stress. These findings are essential in developing strategies to improve the nurse supervisory role in long-term care settings.