EXPLORATIONOFJOBSATISFACTIONAMONGNURSESINTHE GENERAL IN-PATIENT UNITS, KCRH, KISUMU COUNTY, KENYA.

Abstract

Background- Job satisfaction among nurses is important in influencing productivity, performance,efficiency,effectiveness,andthequalityofhealthcareservices.Manyfactorshave contributedtojobsatisfaction,includingpersonalfactors,workingenvironment,andinstitutional factors.

Studysetting-Thisstudywascarriedouttoexplorejobsatisfactionamongnursesingeneral inpatient wards in KCRH, Kisumu County, Kenya.

Studyobjectives-Theyincludedfirstestablishingtheinfluenceoftheworkingenvironmenton jobsatisfaction,secondly,Determiningtheeffectofinstitutionalfactorsonjobsatisfaction,and third, assessing how personal factors affect job satisfaction among nurses in the general in-patient wards at KCRH Kisumu county Kenya.

Methodology-Thisstudyadoptedacross-sectionaldescriptiveresearchdesign.Asampleof40 nurses was conveniently drawn from a population of 45 nurses. A pretested self-administered structured questionnaire was then used in data collection. Eligibility criteria included nurses working in in-patient medical, surgical, pediatric, and postnatal wards. The filling of the questionnaire was voluntary and indicative of the participant’s consent. Collected data was systematically coded and keyed in using Microsoft Excel and the results were presented in graphs, percentages, charts, and frequency tables.

Benefits of the Study-Results from this study can be of use by the County government of Kisumu, the Ministry of Health, and nursing administration in KCRH for purposes of policy formulationandimplementationregardingimprovingjobsatisfactionandthusefficiencyinwork performanceandproductivity.Thefindingswillalsoprovideabaselineforfuturerelatedstudies.

Findingsoftheresearch-ThestudyrevealedthatthemajorityofthenursesworkinginKCRH in-patient units are female with most nurses having a diploma level of training. It further revealed that the majority of the nurses were not planning to quit their jobs, however, the majority felt that their opportunities for advancement and promotion were limited. The study

findings also showed that some of the major predictors of job satisfaction concerning social environmentincluderelationshipamongthestaff,teamworkandcooperationamongthestaffas well as provision of equal opportunities for career development and advancement for the staff.

Thestudythereforeconcludesthatworkingenvironment,institutionalfactors,andpersonal factors influence job satisfaction among nurses in the in-patient units at KCRH (postnatal, medical wards, surgical wards, and pediatric wards). The researcher recommended that, in nursingeducation,concertedeffortsshouldbeputinplacetoimprovecapacitybuildingby implementing in-service training of nurses periodically.