Determinants of Staff Job Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction in Nursing Homes

Background: Job satisfaction is important for nursing home staff and nursing home management, as it is associated with absenteeism, turnover, and quality of care. However, we know little about factors associated with job satisfaction and dissatisfaction for nursing home workers. Methods: In this investigation, we use data from 251 caregivers to examine: what job satisfaction domains are important and what characteristics of these workers are associated with job satisfaction. Results: We find that, overall nursing home caregivers are satisfied with the work and coworkers, but are less satisfied with promotional opportunities, superiors, and compensation. Nurse aides appear particularly sensitive to pay and promotion, whereas other staff appear more sensitive to co-workers and promotion. Of significance, we also find that caregivers who perceived the quality of care to be high have higher job satisfaction than those who do not. Conclusion: Results such as these may be important in guiding caregiver retention initiatives in nursing homes.