Canadian NP Job Satisfaction” and co-presenting a paper with Dr. C. Park, entitled “NP Students’ Views on the Value of PDAs in Clinical Practice

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the current level of NP job satisfaction and its association with extrinsic and intrinsic job satisfaction characteristics among Canadian primary healthcare NPs. Methodology A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to collect data on NP job satisfaction and on the factors that influence their job satisfaction. A convenience sample of licensed Canadian NPs was recruited from established provincial associations and special interest groups. Data about job satisfaction were collected using two valid and reliable instruments, the Misener Nurse Practitioner Job Satisfaction Survey and the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and regression analysis were used to describe the results. Conclusions The overall job satisfaction for this sample ranged from satisfied to highly satisfied. The elements that had the most influence on overall job satisfaction were the extrinsic category of partnership/collegiality and the intrinsic category of challenge/autonomy. These findings were consistent with Herzberg’s Dual Factor Theory of Job Satisfaction. Implications for Practice The outcomes of this study serve as a foundation for designing effective human health resource retention and recruitment strategies that will assist in enhancing the implementation and the successful preservation of the NP role. The key predictor areas taken from this study can be placed in the context of the human health and HHR planning specific to NPs. Decision makers and funders can allocate financial resources in the planning and forecasting stage to implement system improvements for provider outcomes. These areas can be either the intrinsic components of pay, advancement, and ability utilization or they can be issues related to supervisors, working conditions, or recognition. Health administrators could improve job satisfaction by facilitating small efforts such as NP networking, peer review, and involvement in policy decision-making. AND Hand held technology has been evolving and has been integral in supporting point of care decision making. Hand held devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) have replaced hard bound books traditionally held at the bedside. Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are no exception in this trend to transitioning to the digital age. Efforts to introduce mobile technology to the novice or intimidated user have assisted with the introduction of the PDAs into NP practice. Articles describing NPs phobias towards PDAs and PDA instructions for new, intermediate and advanced nurses (Krauskopf, P., 2006) have assisted in the education of clinicians. PDA use by clinicians in practice is not a new evolution; with at least five years of the use of mobile technology the examination and research of the introduction of PDAs into NP and general nursing education has begun. This study presents a picture of the current use of PDAs by NPs students, as well as their perceptions of the barriers to PDA use and the value of PDAs for practice. Two short quizzes were developed -- one for those students who had their own PDAs and one for those who did not. One hundred and fifty students responded. Sixty-four (42.6%) said, “I do use a PDA" and 86 (57.3%) said, “I don't use a PDA". This presentation will briefly highlight the literature surrounding the introduction of PDAs into nursing programs, and present the findings of a survey of distance education NP students pertaining to their use of mobile technology. Overall the results of this survey supported anecdotal and other published information pertaining to PDA use and provides us as academics with valuable insight into the practice experiences from the “point of care” position of a student.