Job satisfaction among nurses in a public hospital in Gauteng

Introduction: The nursing profession in South Africa has lost skilled nurses due to intense international recruitment drives. The public hospital in this study has also failed to recruit and retain skilled nurses. The shortage of skilled nurses has led to deterioration in patient nursing care. The aim of this study: The aim of this study was to describe the level of job satisfaction among nurses in a public hospital. The methodology: A quantitative, descriptive survey was conducted. The data were collected using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. The sample included nurses working in a specific public hospital. Results: Generally all the nurses experienced low satisfaction (42%) with the motivational aspects of their job, such as motivation, responsibility, opportunity for creativity and innovation, independence, and recognition. Nurses also experienced very low levels of satisfaction (22%) with the hygiene aspects of their job, namely, relationships in the workplace, supervisors’ decision-making skills, supervision, working conditions, policies, job security, and salaries. Conclusions: Health services need to be made aware of the high level of dissatisfaction of nurses. The hospital struggles to keep nurses in their posts, and could benefit from taking note of the results of this study. The findings indicate some of the aspects which need to be considered in a human resource planning strategy for nurses. The hospital and nursing management needs to rethink nurses’ salaries, supervision methods and relationships, and also how the Department of Health policies are implemented.