Job satisfaction and dissatisfaction of professional nurses in Primary Health Care facilities in the Free State Province of South Africa

Abstract

Nurses in South Africa form the backbone of primary health care (PHC) service delivery. Therefore, it is essential that they experience job satisfaction as effort and commitment of staff play a crucial role in determining the quality of services. However, South African public health services are faced with severe shortages of nurses due to work overload, poor working conditions, uncompetitive remuneration, and inadequate management. In this article, we determine how stressors confronting public sector PHC nurses influence their levels of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. A total of 534 nurses completed self-administered questionnaires comprising biographical questions, scales assessing job-related stressors and resources, and two open-ended questions focusing on job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Quantitative data were coded, captured and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. The mean scores on quantitative workload indicated that nurses experienced their workload to be very high. The main determinants of job dissatisfaction were workload, limited resources and lack of communication with management. Job satisfaction was mainly attributed to being in a position to help relieve patients' suffering and having a good relationship with managers. A key recommendation relates to the development of a comprehensive human resource management strategy to address staff shortages, staff retention, and the division of labour.