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Effect of gender and education on the quality of nursing work life of Jordanian nurses.

1999; National Institutes of Health; Volume: 20; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

Rowaida Al Maaitah, Sheila Cameron, Marjorie Armstrong‐Stassen, Martha E. Horsburgh,

Global Health Workforce Issues

Ongoing improvements in health care and the recent introduction of high-technology medical care in hospitals have created a strong demand for well-qualified nurses in Jordan. As in many other Middle Eastern countries, nurses are in short supply, and salaries remain low. Despite the increasing number of nursing graduates, both baccalaureate and diploma, serious nursing shortages are experienced in many sectors. The current ratio of staff nurses to the population is 7.8 nurses per 10,000 persons (1). * Nursing is often viewed as a low-status profession in Jordan, owing to ill-defined roles and the confusion of multiple levels of entry into practice. There is also a general lack of institutional support and incentives, and there is continued dominance over issues of health care by the medical profession (2,3). Although the number of programs preparing nurses has increased, turnover rates are high. Many nurses, especially males, leave Jordan for positions in Gulf Region countries. Increasing numbers of young men are entering nursing, especially at the baccalaureate level. Admission criteria for baccalaureate nursing programs have become extremely competitive, but, to maintain balance in the national workforce, separate admission criteria have been created for males and females. The larger number of male university applicants has inflated the admission requirements for men based on prior grades and scores on the national high school exit exams. While 50 percent of all baccalaureate nursing students are males, and males graduate from nursing programs at the same rate as females, male nurses currently represent only about 25 percent of the Jordanian workforce (2). It has been hypothesized that important attitudinal and/or experiential differences exist between male and female nurses, along with differences between baccalaureate and diploma graduates with regard to the work environment. The present study was conducted to examine factors influencing the nursing shortage in hospital settings. The purpose was threefold: first, to determine if baccalaureate and diploma-prepared nurses differ in their perceptions of satisfaction with various aspects of their jobs and their work environment; second, to compare their perceptions of job satisfaction, burnout, trust in management, and turnover intentions; and third, to explore differences between male and female nurses using these same variables. There has been no prior research to examine the influences of gender or professional preparation on work-life experiences or attitudes of Jordanian nurses. The current study is a follow-up of earlier cross-cultural work that examined work experiences of Canadian and Jordanian nurses (4). Method Sample The participants consisted of 435 registered nurses, 60 percent female (n = 264) and 40 percent male (n = 171). Baccalaureate nurses represented 28 percent of the group. There were no significant differences between men and women with regard to age or years of nursing experience. The mean age for male nurses was 27.72 (SD = 3.92); respondents had worked as nurses for 4.89 years (SD = 3.87), and 48 percent were married. The mean age for female nurses was 27.6 years (SD = 5.5); respondents had worked as nurses for 4.95 years (SD = 4.5), and 52 percent were married. Procedures Questionnaire packets were distributed to registered nurses employed in government, private, and military hospitals in the northeast section of Jordan. A cover letter outlined the reasons for the study and ensured confidentiality and anonymity of responses. Participants were instructed to complete the questionnaire and demographic data sheet, both of which were distributed and collected by one of the investigators. Return of the completed questionnaires constituted consent to participate. The response rate was 57 percent; 750 surveys were distributed and 429 returned. Measures Outcome measures included two measures of job satisfaction. …