Job satisfaction among doctors and nurses: a case study of federal medical centre Yola, Nigeria

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONJob satisfaction refers to how well a job provides fulfillment of a need or want or how well it serves as a source or means of enjoyment.1 In recent times the African continent has faced serious human resource shortages, which has resulted in the inability of many countries to initiate and sustain credible health services. 2Nigeria has too few doctors and nurses along poor health indicators when compared to other countries. It is a country which produces more trained health personnel than its health system uses effectively. This trained health care staffs are known to continuously migrate out of the country to more developed countries.Nigeria has been estimated to have 39,210 registered doctors, but one wonders how many of these doctors are still practicing in the country. The quality of performance of any health institution largely depends on an available human resource mix. 4 This is in regards to if the health care providers are job satisfied or not. ABSTRACTBackground: The quality of performance in the health sector to a large extent depends on whether health care providers are job satisfied or dissatisfied. The prevalence of dissatisfaction among doctors and nurses has not been given considerable attention in Nigeria though it affects patient satisfaction and is associated with reduced quality of care. This study assessed the level and factors determining job satisfaction among doctors and nurses in a federal tertiary institution. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted involving 58 doctors and 182 nurses. Data was collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire designed with a 5 point Lickert scale that determined various levels and factors of job satisfaction that relate to 4 domains: the hospital management, hospital facilities, health care providers and pay and benefits. Scores were added to give an aggregate score for each domain and overall. Independent t-test was used to test for statistical significance in satisfaction levels between doctors and nurses. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Overall 57.5% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied, 18.9% neutral and 23.5% dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with all work domains. Doctors were significantly more satisfied than nurse with the hospital facilities; t=2.007, p= 0.046, while nurses were significantly more satisfied with their pay and benefits; t=-3.20, p =0.002. Conclusion: Most respondent in this study were satisfied with their jobs with minority satisfied with their remuneration. There is therefore a need to address the issue of improved remuneration for doctors and nurses.

Satisfação de fonoaudiólogos na atenção à saúde auditiva sob a perspectiva da remuneração e carga horária

“…Embora também sem dados semelhantes para discussão na literatura, vale destacar que carga horária é citada como fator estressor do trabalho 4,5 . Contudo, é possível inferir atualização e a base de conhecimentos interdisciplinares são indispensáveis para as diversidades atuais encontradas no processo de saúde 19 .…”

“…Estudos prévios 4,5 revelam que uma boa relação com público atendido 27 , assim como uma melhor remuneração, estão relacionados à satisfação do profissional no trabalho. No caso da remuneração, estudos revelam ainda que este é um fator de motivação para o desenvolvimento do trabalho 4,5 , cujo resultado terá seu reflexo direto na melhoria da assistência prestada a população, além de estar relacionado ao sentimento de satisfação do profissional 28 . Tal resultado reflete, ainda, um importante aspecto a ser discutido, visto que uma maior satisfação com a população atendida pressupõe um bom acolhimento ao usuário e o estabelecimento de uma relação de confiança e apoio 1 , aspectos fundamentais no tratamento de pacientes com perda auditiva.…”

“…Além disso, os vínculos diversos acabam resultando em empregos fragmentados, precários, mal remunerados, nos quais as heterogeneidades ganham destaque 6 . A remuneração e carga horária aparecerem na literatura como fatores determinantes da satisfação do profissional no emprego, cujo reflexo está diretamente relacionado à qualidade da assistência prestada à população 4,5 . Além disso, o grau de satisfação e motivação do profissional pode afetar a harmonia e estabilidade psicológica dentro do local de trabalho 5 , aspectos essenciais quando se trabalha em equipe.…”

Psychological Meaningfulness and Work Engagement Effect on Doctor’s Job Satisfaction

“…Another study in China (Yu et al, 2018) stated that doctor job satisfaction is very related especially to work itself besides the work environment. This is also relevant to the results of the survey in Nigeria (Martins et al, 2016), the doctor's job satisfaction is high for work itself and low for remuneration. This means that doctors still feel job satisfaction with their work despite being underpaid.…”

“…A high sense of meaning increases the spirit of dedication that makes them want to work with high workload demands even though the pay is not high. Such conditions occur in developing countries as well as in Nigeria (Martins et al, 2016), but not so in China where they are satisfied with the payment received (Yu et al, 2018). Therefore in Indonesia doctors often work in several hospitals and clinics (Setyowati et al, 2017).…”