| Description |
The field of skilled nursing and assisted living care composes one of the many different facets of the health care industry. The role of the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is of paramount importance in the field. The CNA is usually the employee who interacts with the patient on a day-to-day basis, works the longest hours, and holds one of the least prestigious positions of all professions in the medical field. This being the case, high turnover rates and low levels ofjob satisfaction among CNAs are the rule rather than the exception. Much research has been conducted on turnover and job dissatisfaction in the health care field, but there is a paucity of empirical research on CNAs. Background research explores management literature regarding the phenomenon of turnover. Job turnover is not easily explained. It plagues management because a simple solution to the problem within an organization seemingly does not exist. Many different facets ofjob satisfaction affect voluntary turnover. While no single factor can solely be to blame, it is a culmination of various elements ofjob satisfaction that lead to the actual incident of removing oneself from an organization. This paper identifies elements ofjob satisfaction found in current management literature that particularly are significant in the field of skilled nursing and assisted living care. In addition to this background research, findings from analysis of information collected in a study conducted for the Utah Health Care Association (URCA) is discussed. This primary data from this study has been analyzed using correlation analysis to determine if the evidence gained from the UHCA questionnaire analysis either supports or refutes contemporary management literature and theory regarding facets of job satisfaction and subsequent levels ofjob turnover. Through comparison of survey results and management theory regarding turnover, current organizational dogmas regarding job satisfaction and its role leading to job turnover were tested. The final part of this paper will entail recommendations for long term care facility management based upon the findings of this project. This research offers new insights to current theory and also serves as a catalyst for further research to determine significant factors that relate to the Certified Nursing Assistant position and their role in the long term care industry. |
