Job Satisfaction among the Faculty Members of Nursing Colleges in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

BACKGROUND Job satisfaction has a significant impact on the work behaviour of faculty members and their attitudes to their work. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no recent studies on job satisfaction among the faculty members of nursing colleges in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of the current study was to explore the factors influencing job satisfaction among nursing department faculty members of nursing colleges in Saudi universities. METHODS This online survey was approved by Taif University under code (42 - 0085). A 35 - item (6 dimensions) five option Likert - type draft questionnaire on job satisfaction was distributed for online anonymous self-reporting by the faculty members of nursing colleges in Saudi universities (N = 116). RESULTS The general level of overall job satisfaction (OJS) of the faculty members of nursing colleges in Saudi universities on all dimensions of job satisfaction is observed to be low (OJS mean 1,28), while work itself and interpersonal relationships were high. The dimensions of job satisfaction were analysed by path coefficient and the significance test. First, for faculty member’s job satisfaction as a higher order factor consists of 6 first order factors: the influence of salary and welfare on job satisfaction is the greatest, with a path coefficient reaching .580. Next comes job competence, leader behaviour, interpersonal relationships, and the work itself. CONCLUSIONS A seven-factor job satisfaction model is advanced, including one high order factor (job satisfaction) and six first-order factors (salary and welfare, the work itself, leader behaviour, personal growth, interpersonal relationships and job competence) demonstrated good overall psychometric properties in terms of construct validity and internal consistency reliability in both the overall sample and its separately analysed subgroups. KEY WORDS Faculty Members, Job Satisfaction, Nursing Colleges, Quality of Higher Education, Saudi Arabia