Barriers to increasing nursing job satisfaction in emergency departments

Abstract

Increasing volumes of patients, violence against healthcare providers, and budgetary constraints are making it progressively difficult for emergency departments (EDs) to retain emergency nursing personnel and to provide patients with safe and effective emergency care. Influencing job satisfaction of ED nurses can increase staff retention and patient safety, but existing literature lacks research on how to get job satisfaction interventions implemented into practice. This thesis provides a practical synthesis of workplace factors affecting job satisfaction of ED nurses, and identifies the practical barriers nursing leaders face when implementing job satisfaction interventions. Results provide evidence of levels of job satisfaction measurement and job satisfaction interventions in the ED, recognize gaps in our knowledge, and identify which stakeholders need to take action in order to make real changes in ED environments to benefit patients, nurses, leaders, and the healthcare system as a whole.