Journal of Gerontological Nursing
Vol. 33 No. 5 May 2007
By Nicholas G. Castle, PhD
ABSTRACT
In this study, the author examined the job satisfaction of nurse aides working in nursing homes using the Nursing Home Nurse Aide Job Satisfaction Questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of seven subscales and uses a visual analogue rating scale ranging from 1 (low score) to 10 (high score). The questionnaire was mailed to 2,872 nurse aides who were employed at 72 nursing homes located in 6 states. A total of 1,579 questionnaires were completed for a response rate of 55%. Mean subscale scores were: 7.8 for the work content subscale, 7.5 for the quality subscale, 6.9 for the training subscale, 6.8 for the coworkers subscale, 5.7 for the work demands subscale, 5.5 for the workload subscale, and 5.3 for the rewards subscale. Mean score for the global ratings was 7.4. The findings indicate that in general, nurse aides enjoy working with residents and their coworkers but are less satisfied with pay.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Castle is Professor, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Health Policy Management, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Address correspondence to Nicholas G. Castle, PhD, Professor, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Health Policy Management, A649 Crabtree Hall, 130 DeSoto Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261; e-mail: castlen+@pitt.edu.
