Improving Nurses’ Job Satisfaction: an Action Research Study

Despite the growing knowledge about job satisfaction, the improvement of it for healthcare providers has remained a challenge. The present study was conducted to identify the challenges to nurses' job satisfaction and improving it by an action research approach. The present study was conducted from 2016 to 2018. The participants were twenty-four nurses, head nurses, and academic researchers as facilitators. They worked through two cycles of reflection and action for change for 19 months. The data were collected and analyzed using the concurrent mixed-method approach. The findings of the quantitative data revealed that the score of nurses’ job satisfaction increased from 50.8 ± 8.34 to 59.88 ± 7.82 in pre and post measurements. Furthermore, reflection on actions in two cycles resulted in designing and implementing action plans for change, learning for both participants and facilitators, and improvement in nurses’ satisfaction with the new program. Some of the Nurses’ Job Satisfaction challenges can be decreased with their participation, they could establish the foundation of a sustainable job satisfaction program successfully. Also, implications introduced in this action research could be applicable for top managers and health system policymakers in a wider range of practice.