Evaluation of Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction in Emergency Medical Services Staff of Zanjan Province, Iran

Background: The challenges of health systems emphasize the need for more motivated employees to perform better and more effectively. Therefore, pervasive attention to job satisfaction of these employees is a matter of course. Objectives: The present study aimed at investigating factors affecting job satisfaction in emergency medical services (EMS) staff of Zanjan Province, Iran, in 2019. Methods: The present descriptive-correlational study was performed on 170 EMS personnel working in the Disaster and Emergency Medical Management Center (DEMMC) of Zanjan Province. The stratified random sampling method was utilized to select the subjects. Job description index and GHQ-12 were administered as data collection instruments. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16 using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: In the present study, the work experience of 46.5% and 26% of the subjects was less than five and more than 10 years, respectively. The highest and lowest scores of job satisfaction belonged to coworkers and pay subscales, respectively (24.4±17 vs. 11.5±18.4). The overall job satisfaction score of the subjects was 19.7±18.2 out of 100. Also, a significant relationship was found between the level of education and overall satisfaction. Conclusion: Considering the low level of job satisfaction in EMS staff, it seems that modifying the reward mechanisms in the prehospital emergency department and using performance improvement levers can enhance the motivation and improve the performance of staff. Besides, strive to promote social relations among coworkers as an effective element may help to enhance job satisfaction and the overall satisfaction of personnel.