Where are healthcare workers going? A study of respiratory therapy and job satisfaction

Healthcare is struggling to keep up with the increasing aging population due to a lack of available employees. The decline has contributed to low enrollments in colleges in health programs, and healthcare workers changing professions. The shortage of healthcare workers has resulted in mandatory overtime, agency workers, and less time available for patient care. Respiratory therapists are among this group who struggle with recruitment and retention. This proposal will examine job satisfaction of respiratory therapists. A quantitative methodology utilizing the Job in General scale and Job Descriptive Index will be administered as the survey instrument. The sample consists of members of the Pennsylvania Society of Respiratory Care. The objective of this dissertation is to help organizations retain and recruit loyal respiratory therapists.