¶ … Saudi Arabia there are a large number of nurses from other nations as the demand in the country for nurses is higher than the supply that the country has. This is not a strange situation as there is a shortage of nurses all over the world and retention rates of nurses are not high (Almalki, et al., 2011). This situation has also been created by the increase in the population which has required that the Saudi health care system accommodate increased numbers. This has brought about the need to handle the recruitment of nurses and their subsequent retention in better ways (Almalki et al., 2011). There is a serious need for better strategies to handle nurse recruitment and retention because where the retention is low, and nurses are fewer, more patients are lost and the failure in terms of rescue rates is higher (Needleman, et al., 2011). Where there are strategies in place to improve the job experience of nurses, the patients benefit as well because of the better care that they are offered (Hayes, et al., 2010). Nurses who experience a less than desirable work experience are more likely to leave their jobs sooner. They are not in a position to offer the best level of care. For a country like Saudi Arabia which has a high demand for nurses, there is a real need to identify and evaluate the things that contribute to the negative work experience of the nurses as cause them to opt out of the career. There is a gap in this area as it has not been methodically examined. These studies have been carried out elsewhere but the results cannot be generalized to the situation in Saudi Arabia. This is because nurses face their own unique problems in the country and there are different dynamics from other countries. Culture is an issue that is pertinent in Saudi Arabia, the structures of the healthcare institutions is also different as are the organizational systems and the experience in the work setting (Alasmari and Douglas, 2012). This study thus aims to add to the knowledge that is available on how a nurses' decision to leave the critical care employment is related to the satisfaction that the nurse experiences on the job. It is an exploratory study that is focused on Saudi Arabia and it seeks to increase the knowledge on how job satisfaction and intention to leave are related so that ways to reduce this turnover among nurses are developed. The study will thus be about the views of nurses who are working in Saudi Arabia on job satisfaction and its impact on the decision and intention to leave employment and the profession.
Context and Background of the Study
Saudi Arabia is a country that stands apart from others in terms of it cultural setting, its religion and the lifestyles of its people. This Islamic nation will be the focus of the study. This unique nation will thus be described to provide a proper context of the study. The history of the country will be explored as will other factors such as the economy, the demographics and social structure. The system of provision of healthcare in the country will also be addressed.
Economy
Historically, the Saudi Arabian kingdom did not rely on oil for its wealth as this had not been discovered. Instead activities such as fishing, agriculture and trade were some of these activities. The country's economy also depended on the income from the tourists who travelled to the nation because of religion making their way to Makkah and Madinah as part of their pilgrimage. Oil was discovered after the nation allowed exploration by geologists from the America. These prospectors concentrated on the eastern region of the nation (Alshmemri, 2014).
Demography
The figures for the Saudi Arabian population in 2012 were given as just under 30 million with 31% of these being made up of people from other nations. These were statistics given by the Central Department of Statistics and Information of Saudi Arabia. The composition of the Saudi nationals consisted of a majority 90% Arab composition and 10% of the population were of different descent (CDSI, 2013).
Society and Culture
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia follows the accepted practices of Islam as well as the culture of the Arabs. The faith of the people of Saudi Arabia looks at Allah as the one who ends life, who brings disease and who gives vitality. The effect of the religion can be felt in all spheres of the society. Family values are upheld in the Muslim context. The interactions by members of families are governed by Islamic values such as being loyal, being truthful, showing mercy, respecting others and adhering to other...
The education system also reflects Islam as the males and the females do not learn in the same classrooms all the way to university level. However, they have equal opportunities to access scholarship s that are offered to be educated outside the country. Historically, the men of the country had higher privileges than the women and were considered above them. with the passing of the years this situation has been gradually changing (Alshmemri, 2014).
Healthcare System
In the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, systems of health care have been improving as they have been accommodating improvements in technology, modern infrastructure as well as reflecting the improved economy. A lot of developments have been made in this regard in the last few years. The country actually boasts highly advanced systems in line with developed nations. Healthcare has been a priority issue in the country. The government expenditure towards this sector has been high so that the quality of healthcare provided has improved and the number of institutions offering healthcare has also increased. In Saudi Arabia, there are numerous entities offering healthcare. These include hospitals that are run by the government, hospitals both private and public run by the Ministry of Higher Education, Medical Services for Security Forces, Armed Forces Medical Services, the National Guard of Health Affairs, the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu and the Aramco Hospitals (Alshmemri, 2014).
The government of Saudi Arabia views the development of health care as a key part of developing the nation. It is thus an issue that is given due attention. Three levels of healthcare including primary, secondary and tertiary levels are offered by the Ministry of Health. The primary level is what is available to most people and is in over 2000 centers all over the country. The secondary level is offered to the population in the form of the government run hospitals. The third level of healthcare is that which is specialized and includes centers for treating major diseases such as heart issues, kidney problems and diabetes (MOH, 2011). As the country continues to develop, the healthcare services are also expected to become more advanced (Alshmemri, 2014).
Statement of the Problem
Healthcare systems and structures in Saudi Arabia have been improving over the last few decades. With this improvement, it has become obvious that the job satisfaction of nurses is crucial for the future stability of this sector as well as the adequacy in provision of healthcare (Al-Dossary, et al., 2012). Studies have revealed that there are various things that contribute to the job satisfaction of nurses and some of these include but are not limited to the nurse's level of education, the work environment in which they practice, the age of the nurse and even their experience. Through this study, factors affecting the job satisfaction of nurses within Saudi Arabia will be established and these can help especially where the Ministry of Health needs to formulate policies that deal with enhancing the job satisfaction of nurses. Information on these factors will also allow strategies to be formulated which will see fewer nurses leave their jobs and thus guarantee stability. Thus this study will seek to find the solution for the problem of nurse's decision to leave their employment by finding out what factors influence their job satisfaction.
Purpose of the Study
This study has its purpose as finding out the degree of satisfaction on the job experienced by nurses working in Saudi Arabian public hospitals. The research will focus on finding out and examining what aspects cause and increase job satisfaction of the nurses working specifically in Najran. This will help in formulating strategies that will enhance job satisfaction which is expected to impact the quality of care given to patients. The literary gap that this study aims to address is that of the lack of research into the area of job satisfaction of nurses in Saudi public hospitals and the scarcity of research done in the area of job satisfaction of nurses in general.
To measure organizational commitment, the affective and continuance scales, the study will use Meyer and Allen's (2004) revised TCM Employee Commitment Survey. The TCM Employee Commitment Survey is a valid instrument used to measure affective, continuance, and normative commitment. This study will use a self-administered questionnaire. The researchers will adapt the 'Index of Work Satisfaction Questionnaire' by Paula L. Stamps to measure nurses'…
