Factors influencing job satisfaction and anticipated turnover among intensive care nurses in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background/Aims High staff turnover among nurses can be caused by a variety of factors, including job dissatisfaction. This study aimed to assess factors influencing job satisfaction and retention among intensive care nurses in three tertiary care hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Methods A multi-centre comparative cross-sectional study was carried out with 326 intensive care nurses working across three hospitals in Saudi Arabia. The Minnesota satisfaction questionnaire and the anticipated turnover scale were used to assess nurses' job satisfaction levels and intention to leave their organisation, with items scored on a 7-point Likert scale. Respondents' sociodemographic characteristics were also collected, including age, sex, nationality, salary, years of experience and shift length. Responses were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25 to identify relationships between variables, with P values of ≤0.05 being considered statistically significant. Results Job satisfaction levels were generally low, with an average score of 58.34 out of 140. There was a significant inverse relationship between job satisfaction and intention to leave (P=0.001). Nurses who were not of Saudi Arabian nationality and those who earned less than 10,000 Saudi riyals had significantly higher levels of job satisfaction than Saudi Arabian nationals and those on higher salaries (P=0.001 and P=0.002 respectively). Other sociodemographic variables were not significantly associated with job satisfaction. Conclusions Job satisfaction needs to be improved among nurses working in intensive care units to prevent high staff turnover rates. Understanding how sociodemographic variables can affect job satisfaction may help healthcare managers and policymakers to implement effective, targeted strategies to improve staff retention.