Measuring community nurses’ job satisfaction: literature review

Abstract

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. 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. 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. 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. 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.