Work Satisfaction in Wisconsin Nurses

The topic of work satisfaction in nursing has undergone extensive investigation. Unfortunately, there have been many inconsistencies in the methods used, the results obtained, and the conclusions drawn. The current nursing shortage has served to point to the fact that we need a better understanding of this issue so that the actions taken lead to the desired results. The research questions for this study were : (1) how do Wisconsin hospital staff nurses prioritize the components of work satisfaction, (2) what is the current level of satisfaction in this group, and (3) what is the relationship between selected demographic variables and work satisfaction. The Index of Work Satisfaction developed by Stamps and Piedmonte (1986) was mailed to 500 Wisconsin Nurses who were randomly selected from the State Board list. Of the 356 questionnaires returned, 111 met criteria and were used for the study. The Index of Work Satisfaction (IWS) obtained results consistent with those of other investigators, and demonstrated moderate to low levels of work satisfaction in this sample. Components of work satisfaction were prioritized in the following order: (1) autonomy, (2) pay, (3) professional status, (4) interaction, (5) task requirements, and (6) organizational policies. The mean IWS score for the sample fell at the 50th percentile. No relationships were identified between demographic variable and work satisfaction. The implications for the use of this tool were discussed, and its repeated use recommended