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Job Satisfaction of Nurse Aides in Nursing Homes: Intent to Leave and Turnover

Correspondence: Address correspondence to Nicholas G. Castle, PhD, Health Policy and Management, University of Pittsburgh, A649 Crabtree Hall, 130 DeSoto Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261. E-mail: castleN{at}Pitt.edu

Purpose: The relationship between job satisfaction of nurse aides and intent to leave and actual turnover after 1 year is examined. Design and Methods: Data came from a random sample of 72 nursing homes from 5 states (Colorado, Florida, Michigan, New York, and Oregon). From these nursing homes, we collected 1,779 surveys from nurse aides (a response rate of 62%). We used a job satisfaction instrument specifically developed for use with nurse aides, as well as previously validated measures of intent to leave and turnover. We used ordered logistic regression and logistic regression to examine the data.  Results: High overall job satisfaction was associated with low scores on thinking about leaving, thinking about a job search, searching for a job, and turnover. In examining the association between the job satisfaction subscales and intent to leave and turnover, we found that high Work Schedule subscale scores, high Training subscale scores, and high Rewards subscale scores were associated with low scores on thinking about leaving, thinking about a job search, searching for a job, and turnover. High scores on the Quality of Care subscale were associated with low turnover after 1 year. Implications: These results are important in clearly showing the relationship between job satisfaction and intent to leave and turnover of nurse aides. Training, rewards, and workload are particularly important aspects of nurse aides' jobs.

Key Words: Nursing homes • Quality • Turnover • Nurse aides • Staffing

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