Evaluation of Self-reported Job Satisfaction and Associated Factors among Nursing Officers, National Hospital Kandy, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Background: Job satisfaction plays a vital role in the wellbeing of nursing professionals and the quality of health care services they provide. Nurses face various challenges, including heavy workloads, salary concerns, and inadequate workplace conditions. These challenges have negatively impacted job satisfaction and contributed to high turnover rates among them. Objectives: To evaluate self-reported job satisfaction levels and associated factors among the nursing officers at National Hospital Kandy (NHK), Sri Lanka Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using 423 randomly selected nursing officers at the NHK. A validated 5-point, self-administered Likert scale varying from 1 to 5, with 28 items, was used for data collection (Cronbach's alpha value - 0.91). Data analysis was carried out using SPSS version 25.0 by applying descriptive statistical techniques and Chi-square tests. The study was conducted from June to August 2024. Results: Of the sample the majority (79.9%) was females, and 55.4% were within the 31-40- year age group. Most participants were married (82.5%), held Grade II positions (48.3%), and had 6 - 10 years of work experience (42.8%). The overall job satisfaction among the nursing officers had a moderately high mean±SD score of 3.35±1.267. Statistically significant associations with self- reported overall job satisfaction were found for age category (p=0.032), workstation support (p=0.01), stress (p=0.04), work-life balance (p=0.04), and the distance from home (p=0.02). However, gender, marital status, work experience, grade, and education level were not significantly associated with job satisfaction. Conclusions: Nursing officers at NHK reported a moderately high level of job satisfaction. Key influencing factors include age, workstation support, stress levels, work-life balance and commuting distance. These findings highlight areas for administrative intervention to improve retention and workplace satisfaction.