Examining the relationships between Canadian public health nurses' job satisfaction and their autonomy, control-over-practice, and workload

Abstract

Objective: To examine relationships between three modifiable work factors (autonomy, control-over-practice, workload) and Canadian public health nurses' job satisfaction. Design: Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey. Setting: All Canadian provinces and territories. Participants: Canadian registered nurses working in public health (n =271). Methods: Analysis of select data from the 2 005 National Survey of the Work and Health of Nurses (NSWHN). Bivariate analyses were used to examine demographic data, multivariate logistic regression analyses to examine relationships between the selected variables, and Chi-square tests to determine regional variations in job satisfaction across Canada. The relevance of findings was discussed with practicing public health nurses (PHNs), policy makers, and researchers at an end-of-study Knowledge Translation (KT) 'Think-Tank'. Results: The interaction between autonomy and workload was a significant predictor of PHNs' job satisfaction, (OR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.96,0.99, p < 0.01) as was the interaction between age and workload (OR: 1.01,95% CI: 1.00, 1.01, p < 0.01). No statistically significant differences were found in PHNs' job satisfaction between regions. Think-Tank participants were interested in learning about results, selected priority areas for application to public health practice and management, and identified future directions for research. Conclusions: With the significant workload findings and generational differences, development of workload measurement tools and public health human resource strategies tailored to a multi-generational workforce are recommended. National enumeration strategies to identify the number of practicing PHNs are also recommended to inform public health practice and policy as are future KT activities to facilitate research dissemination.