Male RNs: Work Factors Influencing Job Satisfaction and Intention to Stay in the Profession

Abstract

Males represent approximately 6.8% of registered nurses in Canada and consequently constitute an untapped health workforce resource. The authors investigated environmental work factors in the acute-care setting and their influence on male RNs' job satisfaction and intention to stay in the profession. They conducted a cross-sectional study of male RNs employed in acute-care settings in the province of Ontario. Correlations and multiple regression analyses were used to examine career satisfaction and intentions. Nurses who were most satisfied with their career valued extrinsic rewards (pay, vacation, and benefits), control and responsibility, and opportunities for professional development; those who were least satisfied and voiced their intention to leave the profession tended to work part time, experience gender mistreatment, and be dissatisfied with extrinsic awards, scheduling, and organizational support. A unique finding of this study relates to the significant predictive relationship between gender mistreatment and males' intention to leave.