Nursing Job Satisfaction and Turnover in Saudi Arabia

2. Introduction

Nurses are the largest group of health care providers and professionals in the health system worldwide; they play a significant role in determining the quality and cost of health care in Saudi Arabia. Nursing shortages and high turnover have become a widespread issue, and the problem is of great concern to many countries around the world because of its effect upon the efficiency and productivity of health care systems (Al-Aameri, 2000).

Job satisfaction is important for nurses in Saudi Arabia, most of whom come from different nations such as India, the Philippines and Pakistan. To maintain a stable work force and enhance the quality of care, it is important for health care managers of public health care organizations to identify the level of job satisfaction among nurses. It is also vital to measure dissatisfaction, since a lack of job satisfaction in the nursing profession may cause an increase in the turnover and shortage of staff. Furthermore, the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover has been found in much of the nursing research, which indicates that increasing job satisfaction decreases the rate of turnover (Coomber & Louise Barriball, 2007).

The aim of this project and literature review is to identify the relationship between nursing job satisfaction and turnover for nurses in general, and to consider many aspects of nursing job satisfaction and turnover, specifically in Saudi Arabia. The project will include the definitions of job satisfaction and turnover, the history of nursing in Saudi Arabia and the factors affecting nursing job satisfaction in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, this project will examine the social, cultural and educational factors which have affected the shortage of nur...

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... three public and two private hospitals. The response rate of this study was 79.6% out of 438. The findings of Mrayyan’s study showed that nurses reported that they were moderately satisfied with their jobs and had a neutral opinion about their retention. Nurses who worked in public hospitals reported lower levels of job satisfaction, and less of them had the intention to stay at their jobs than nurses in private hospitals. Al-Momani (2008) identified improved nurse retention in Jordanian public hospitals. The response rate was 92% out of 120. The conclusion of this study revealed ten key factors that influenced the respondents’ intention to leave their positions: salary, workload, autonomy in decision-making, caring environment, motivation system, job description, nurses’ welfare, growth opportunities, perception of fair leadership, and recognition for work done.