2006 OPEN FORUM Abstracts
PREDICTORS OF RESPIRATORY THERAPISTS' JOB SATISFACTION AND INTENT TO LEAVE THE JOB AND FIELD
David C. Shelledy, PhD,
RRT, RPFT, FAARC; Donna D. Gardner,
MSHP, RRT. The University of Arkansas
for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas and the University of Texas Health
Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
Background: Increased job satisfaction among respiratory therapists may be associated with
improved job performance, quality of care and employee retention. We sought to determine
if there were significant demographic, professional and job related variables
that predicted job satisfaction (JS) and intent to leave the job or field among
respiratory therapists in Texas.
Methods: A multifactor instrument which included items
from the previously described Job Analysis Survey for Respiratory Care
Practitioners (JAS-RCP) and the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) was pilot tested
and then mailed to a random sample of licensed respiratory therapists in
Texas. A second survey was mailed to all
non-respondents approximately three weeks later. Following the second mailing,
a random sample of 10% of the remaining non-respondents (n = 70) were surveyed
by telephone to determine if there were significant differences between
respondents and non-respondents. The JDI measures satisfaction with work (WS),
pay (PAS), promotions (PS), supervision (SS) and coworkers (CS). The JAS-RCP
collects demographic, job related and personal variables and assesses attitudes
towards work and intent to leave the job (ILJ) and field (ILF). Items were
added to the JAS-RCP to assess attitudes towards the profession and professionalism.
Pearson product moment correlations were calculated between interval and ratio
scale personal, professional and work related variables, JS, ILJ and ILF followed
by stepwise multiple regression analyses to determine the ability of the
independent variables to predict JS and intent to leave when used in
combination.
Results: There were 280
usable surveys (28% response). There were no significant differences (p>.05)
between respondents and non-respondents by age, gender, years of experience, or
credential. In combination, the independent variables accounted for 70% of the
variance in WS, 21% of the variance in PAS, 46% of the variance in PS, 64% of
the variance in SS, 41% of the variance in CS, 44% of the variance in ILJ and
57% of the variance in ILF. The strongest predictors were: WS - professional
characteristics (organization, safety), overall workload, physician respect,
satisfaction with career choice, and ventilator patient work load; PAS -
importance placed on education, physician respect, and professional
characteristics (attention); PS - participation in decision making, hospital
size and number of employees, leadership and importance of education; SS - role
clarity, satisfaction with career choice, quality of the department, number of
different places worked, hospital size and number of employees and basic care
workload; CS - communications at work, view of the field as professional and
important, leadership, and years on the job; ILJ - professional characteristics
(participation), organizational stability, and view that respiratory care is
respected; ILF - organizational stability, professional characteristics
(participation), number of different jobs held, job independence, hospital
size, and view that the RRT credential is important.
Conclusions: Improved
organizational stability, department quality, physician respect, job independence,
participation in decision making, communications, and role clarity were
associated with increased JS and reduced ILJ and/or ILF. Appropriate workload, positive attitudes
toward the profession, and improved individual professional characteristics
were also associated with improved JS and reduced intent to leave. Attention to these factors may improve JS and
quality of care and improve employee retention.
Department Funding