Effects of Work Environment on Job Satisfaction among Nurses in The University of Cape Coast Hospital

Abstract

The increasing rate of turnover of health professionals especially nurses in Ghana is a cause for concern and worry in the country. The high turnover rate of nurses has negative bearing on health care delivery in the country. Against this backdrop, one wonders whether the high rate of turnover of nurses is due to low job satisfaction resulting from their work environment or not. This survey therefore focused on unravelling the effects of work environment on job satisfaction among nurses within the Cape Coast University Hospital, Ghana. To this end, opinions were elicited from 73 nurses of the said hospital. The census method was used to include all the nurses in the study’s institution. Cross tabulation, Pearson product moment correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to analyse the data. Results of the study show among others that there is a strong positive relationship between nurses’ perception of their work environment and their job satisfaction. That nurses in the hospital were not satisfied with their job and their work environment, that nurses’ involvement in decision making, transparency and team work in their human relations, infrastructural development, and opportunities for professional development were key factors that enhance the working conditions of nurses in the study area. Therefore, management should put in place both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational packages for nurses to enhance nurses job satisfaction.