The Relationship Among Nurses' Work Environment And Job Satisfaction, Turnover Intention In Nursing Staff

ObjectivesThis study was to aim at investigating the nurses' work environment, job satisfaction, turnover intention in general hospitals in Taian. To analyze the variation in nurses' work environment, job satisfaction, turnover intention among nurses by personal characteristics and the relationship among nurses' work environment and job satisfaction, turnover intention. To explore factors in nurses' work environment which led to job dissatisfaction and turnover intention. To provide a theoretical basis for nursing managers' effective intervention measures.MethodsA descriptive design was used. By multi-sampling, 577 registered nurses in clinical departments were recruited from 4 general hospitals in Taian in the period from May to September, 2010. The general questionnaire, the nurses' Professional Practice Environment Scale (PPE), McCloskey/Mueller Satisfaction Scale (MMSS) and Turnover Intention Scale were used in our investigation. Describing analysis, Independent-Samples t test, One-Way ANOVA, LSDtest, Pearson correlation and multiple linear stepwise regression were performed by SPSS13.0.Results1. The average score of nurses' work environment was 2.56±0.35, the scores of 8 dimensions were ranked at a descending order as follow: Nurse-Physician Relationship, Internal Work Motivation, Communication about Patients, Handling Disagreement and Conflict, Leadership and Autonomy, Teamwork, Cultural Sensitivity, Control over Practice; The overall work environment scores and specific dimension scores of nurses who have different hospital grades, marital status, personal status, departments, age, years of work experience, job titles had differences statistically (P<0.05). While the specific dimension scores of nurses who have different educational level had differences statistically (P<0.05).2. The average score of nurses' job satisfaction was 2.82±0.40. The nurses were not satisfied with extrinsic rewards, professional opportunities, balance of family and work; The overall job satisfaction scores of nurses who have different hospital grades, personal status, departments, age, years of work experience, job titles had differences statistically (P<0.05). While the overall job satisfaction scores of nurses who have different marital status and educational level had no differences statistically (P>0.05).3. The average score of nurses' turnover intention was 2.74±0.59 with the index value of 68.50%, the scores of 3 dimensions were ranked at a descending order as follow:Ⅲ(2.85±0.63),Ⅰ(2.71±0.80),Ⅱ(2.68±0.70); The overall turnover intention scores of nurses who have different personal status, departments, age, years of work experience, job titles, educational level had differences statistically (P<0.05). While the overall turnover intention scores of nurses who have different marital status and hospital grades had no differences statistically (P>0.05).4. There was a positive relationship between the 8 dimensions of nurses' work environment and job satisfaction (P<0.01). Nurses' Job Satisfaction was explained by 34.9% with Nurse-Physician Relationship,Internal Work Motivation, Leadership and Autonomy, Cultural Sensitivity, Control over Practice; There was a negative relationship between the 8 dimensions of nurses' work environment and turnover intention (P<0.01). Nurses' Turnover Intention was explained by 21.2% with Nurse-Physician Relationship, Communication about patients, Handling Disagreement and Conflict, Leadership and Autonomy, Control over Practice.Conclusions1.The status of nurses' work environment which perceived by nurses was in the middle level, the level of job satisfaction was low, the level of turnover intention was high. Better was the nurses to perceive the work environment, more satisfactory she/he was to the job; Better was the nurses to perceive the work environment, more willing she/he was to stay in the job. The intervention to job satisfaction and turnover intention can begin with improving nurses' work environment and take measures as follow: enhancing the training of communication techniques, improving nurses' communication ability; emphasizing nurses' continuing education, widen the knowledge structure of nurses; making job content abundant, stirring up the nurses' internal work motivation; raising nursing managers' ability, providing nurses more work autonomy; allocating nursing human resources reasonably, strengthening nurses' control over practice.2. Suggestions generated by this study to nursing practice are: results of this study provide useful information for further exploring factors that suitable to the current situation of China in nurses' work environment which lead to job dissatisfaction and turnover intention. In addition, to provide reference information for the further research and systematic optimization of the nurses' work environment in China.