Physiotherapists' job satisfaction according to employment situation: Findings from an online survey in Austria

Abstract

Background and Purpose Physiotherapists are commonly working in self‐employed, employed, or in combined employed and self‐employed work arrangements. This study aimed at examining aspects of job satisfaction and predictors of physiotherapists' overall job satisfaction across those three types of work arrangements. Methods Austrian physiotherapists rated their overall job satisfaction as well as the importance and realisation of aspects of job satisfaction in a cross‐sectional online survey. Multiple linear regression was used to identify predictors of overall job satisfaction, and (for employed therapists only) predictors for planning to change the employer. Results The sample consisted of 581 physiotherapists working in the public or private sector, of which, 342 were self‐employed, 100 employed, and 139 both employed and self‐employed. Physiotherapists generally indicated high job satisfaction with notable variations according to their work arrangements. Overall job satisfaction and the aspects of recognition and autonomy were higher in self‐employed therapists, when compared to the other two groups. In contrast, self‐employed therapists reported lower satisfaction with mentoring and peer support. Those who were both employed and self‐employed reported the highest gap between the importance and realisation of their work–life balance (r = −0.50, p < 0.001). Recognition was identified as the most important predictor of job satisfaction (ß = 0.52, p < 0.001) and intention to leave (ß = −0.54, p < 0.001) in employed physiotherapists. Discussion The analysis of job satisfaction according to work arrangements suggests several approaches to increase or maintain a high level of job satisfaction, which may be addressed by employers and physiotherapy professional organisations. For employed physiotherapists, practices that increase their recognition and autonomy seem to be promising, whereas self‐employed physiotherapists could benefit from enhanced opportunities for exchange and networking with colleagues. For those who are both employed and self‐employed, more flexible work schedules may be helpful to integrate the demands of private patients and employer workloads.

The physiotherapy workforce in Nepal: A national survey

“…A study conducted among physiotherapists in Australia found that the career stage was strongly associated with job satisfaction with higher satisfaction levels among physiotherapists with more years of clinical practice which is similar to our findings 29 . Similar to our results, private practice owners had a better job satisfaction compared to physiotherapists working as employees 29,55 …”

“…29 Similar to our results, private practice owners had a better job satisfaction compared to physiotherapists working as employees. 29,55 The only significant factor we found that was associated with job dissatisfaction was the annual income. That is, physiotherapists who had higher annual pay were at greater odds of reporting higher job satisfaction.…”

“…Therefore, the reasons for job dissatisfaction should be further explored using qualitative research methods and the reasons for job dissatisfaction should be addressed to improve patient care. Some known factors that have been shown to improve job satisfaction include autonomy, recognition and mentorship 29,55,58 . A framework‐based professional development of physiotherapists working in rural areas is recommended globally to improve job satisfaction, 29 which is relevant in low‐resourced countries like Nepal where the majority of the population resides in rural communities 52 .…”

Association Between Competencies of Biopsychosocial Approach and Job Satisfaction of Rehabilitation Professionals in Ukraine

“…In other words, increased perceptions of networks were associated with greater job satisfaction. Networks in physiotherapy can be good for improving cross sectoral work, learning opportunities (Latzke et al, 2021) and is reported to be associated This study presented small to moderate correlations between BPS subscales. It might be linked with the perception of physiotherapists of learning and implementing the BPS approach that requires skills to comprehend the difference of this approach in order to applying their new skills.…”

Association between competencies of biopsychosocial approach and job satisfaction of rehabilitation professionals in Ukraine

“…It might be explained by heterogeneity of the participants in other studies while this study involved only rehabilitation professionals. The Ministry of Health of Ukraine is focusing on raising the awareness on implementation of the ICF approach in education and in continuous professional development of rehabilitation staff in Ukraine [29]. However, the REHAB project has demonstrated that education of physiotherapists in Ukrainian is more focused on problem or disease oriented (International Classification of Disease, ICD) but not to the goal oriented approach (ICF).…”