Impact of work environment and job satisfaction on employment intention of nursing assistants in long-term care systems

27^th World Congress on Nursing Care

May 20-21, 2019 Osaka, Japan

Jessie Yuk-Seng Chung, Linda Yin-King Lee, Joseph Kok-Long Lee, Ching-Yee Lam, Jonathan Ka-Ming Ho, Jamie Wai-Man Yu,Esther Chui-Yan Wong and Edward Kei Ngai

The Open University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service, Hong Kong

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

Background & Aim: Nursing assistants are an essential part of the healthcare workforce in long-term care systems. High turnover among nursing assistants directly influence the quality of care and facilities operations. Addressing the shortage of nursing assistants is a critical element of creating better long-term care systems. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of work environment on job satisfaction and employment intention of nursing assistants in long-term care systems.

Method: This was a cross-sectional survey. Convenience sampling method was used and recruited 215 nursing assistants working in long-term care systems in Hong Kong. A self-administered questionnaire, which is adopted from previous studies with a content validity index of 0.91, was used to measure work environment factors, job satisfaction level and intention to stay or leave. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis.

Result: Work environment factors were found to have significant associations with job satisfaction level among nursing assistants, especially wages and benefits, work schedule, management style, and supervision. Besides, job satisfaction level was positively correlated to their intention to stay and negatively correlated to their intention to leave.

Conclusion: Job satisfaction is a positive predictor of employment intention of nursing assistants, which is affected by the work environment in the long-term care systems. To reduce turnover and enhance job satisfaction of nursing assistants, organizations should provide a favorable work environment for them, including increasing their wages and benefits, assigning reasonable work schedule, providing adequate supervision and demonstrating a positive and respectful management style.