Job satisfaction in nursing: validation of a new instrument for the UK

Abstract

Aim: To develop a new, valid and reliable instrument that has been designed and evaluated to measure job satisfaction as perceived by nurses with specific aspects of contemporary nursing.

Background: Job satisfaction is a key concept within workforce research in nursing and is particularly important within the present climate in the UK due to findings linking satisfaction with both quality of care and retention of nurses.

Method(s): Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were carried out on a large longitudinal dataset from a study of Adult-branch diploma-qualified nurses in England who completed the scale at three time-points after qualification.

Results: A six-factor solution was supported and replicated in a further sample of recently qualified graduate nurses. The instrument was also acceptably reliable.

Conclusion: This new instrument is a concise, highly practical and flexible tool, which can be used in a range of health care settings and in different measurement contexts.