Work Stress and Job Satisfaction for the Community Health Nurse

Abstract

The nursing profession has changed from the concept of the physician's handmaiden by the bedside to one of leadership within the community health setting. With the advent of the prospective payment system, the community health nurse (CHN) has been required to deal with patients who present with increasingly complex health needs. This increased responsibility of the CHN in the area of patient management can result in the development of stress and decreased job satisfaction. Research concerning job satisfaction and stress in regard to the CHN is limited to information concerning English health visitors, stress, and stress in other health settings (Butcher & Davis, 1988; Gillespie, 1987; Gough & Hingley, 1988; Stoner & Wankel, 1986; West & Savage, 1988). These studies investigated the effects of stress on the individual working in a health setting. The perception of nurses' satisfaction in their work setting has been studied to some degree in the hospital setting. Minimal information, however, is available concerning the relationship between job satisfaction and work stress for the CHN (Slavitt, Stamps, Piedmont, & Haase, 1987; Stoner & Wankel, 1986). To assist the CHN in mitigating the effects of work stress, the relationship between job satisfaction and work stress specifically in the community health setting needs to be delineated. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between work stress and job satisfaction among CHNs.