Job satisfaction in rural and remote nursing : comparison of registered nurses in nurse practitioner vs. non-nurse practitioner roles

Abstract

In Canada, the nursing shortage and high turnover rate of nurses are expected to worsen over the next ten years, making the recruitment and retention of nurses a priority for health care. Previous research has indicated that job satisfaction influences the recruitment and retention of nurses. Most of the research on job satisfaction, thus far, has focused on nurses practicing in urban, acute-care settings. There has been little research on job satisfaction of nurses practicing in rural and remote settings in Canada, and even less on nurses practicing in advanced nursing practice (ANP) roles, specifically nurse practitioner (NP) roles. A secondary analysis of data from the national survey The Nature of Nursing Practice in Rural and Remote Canada was conducted with a group of 327 RNs practicing in NP roles and 1,151 RNs practicing in non-NP roles. The objectives of the present study were to describe similarities and differences between RNs in NP versus non-NP practice roles in rural and remote settings in Canada in relation to: (1) demographic profile, (2) job satisfaction, and (3) community satisfaction. The final objective of the study was to explore what the most important work-related attributes for RNs whose practice roles were categorized as NP. A modified version of Stamp’s (1997) Index of Work Satisfaction (IWS) was used to measure job satisfaction and the Community Satisfaction Scale (Henderson-Betkus & MacLeod, 2003) was used to operationalize community satisfaction. The study found that the reported overall level of job satisfaction was higher for RNs practicing in NP roles versus non-NP roles. Further findings suggested that the reported level of intrinsic job satisfaction factors was higher for RNs practicing in NP roles versus non-NP roles. The themes that were identified during the content analysis of NPs’ responses to the open-ended survey question related to the most important work-related attributes included: the nature of advanced nursing practice in rural and remote areas, work life, personal and professional development, practice philosophy, and the community. The findings of the present study provide useful information for health care administrators and policy makers on factors associated with job satisfaction of nurses practicing in NP and non-NP roles in rural and remote settings in Canada.