Are Nurses Becoming More Dissatisfied With Their Jobs?

Abstract: The objective of this study is to provide a detailed examination of the changes in job satisfaction among nurses in the US over time. Using data from the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (NSSRN) from 1977, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 this study analyzes how job satisfaction among registered nurses has changed over time. Are there different factors affecting job satisfaction at different points in time and are these factors changing over time, or is there little change in what affects job satisfaction among nurses over time? As we continue to see mismatches in the supply of and demand for nurses as we have seen over the past several years, this is an area of importance to study. As we see the longevity of populations increasing, this trend in mismatching of supply and demand of nurses is likely to continue to be a problem into the future. There is also a problem with an aging nursing workforce and the shortage of nurses might become even more problematic into the future as these nurses begin to retire if there are fewer new nurses joining this labor market. Perhaps if job satisfaction issues are addressed the problem of this mismatch of supply and demand can be mitigated by developing policies to address nursing shortages and to increase the size of the workforce by addressing job satisfaction issues. This study will help to address whether changes in job satisfaction over time is something that can be addressed by policy initiatives that can work towards increasing the size of this workforce to help meet future demands.