Job Satisfaction among Occupational Therapists Employed in Primary Care Services in Norway

Tore Bonsaksen (), Sissel Horghagen, Cathrine Arntzen, Astrid Gramstad and Linda Stigen
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Tore Bonsaksen: Department of Health and Nursing Sciences, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, 2418 Elverum, Norway
Sissel Horghagen: Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
Cathrine Arntzen: Department of Health and Care Sciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
Astrid Gramstad: Department of Health and Care Sciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
Linda Stigen: Department of Health Sciences Gjøvik, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 2802 Gjøvik, Norway

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 6, 1-11

Abstract: The aging population will place healthcare services under considerable strain in the years ahead. Occupational therapists play a vital role in securing sustainable healthcare services and are increasingly employed by municipalities. To promote sustainable services, the job satisfaction among core professional groups needs monitoring. A comprehensive cross-sectional survey was distributed among municipality-employed occupational therapists in Norway during May–June 2022, to which 617 responded. Job satisfaction was assessed with the Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS), and factors associated with job satisfaction were assessed with linear regression analysis. The mean JSS score in the sample was 51.4. The regression model explained 14.4% of the variance in job satisfaction scores. Having more work experience as an occupational therapist ( β = 0.16, p = 0.02) and having higher perceived influence on the work unit’s goals ( β = 0.31, p < 0.001) were significantly related to higher job satisfaction. The study implies that job satisfaction in the occupational therapy profession increases with years of experience and also with the ability to engage with and influence the larger work environment. Thus, to promote job satisfaction, occupational therapists should seek to engage not only with their own work at hand but also with the larger goals and strategies of the organization they work for.

Keywords: employee influence; health services; job satisfaction; national survey; occupational therapy; primary care; work engagement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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