Which aspects of job determine satisfaction among pharmacists working in Saudi pharmacy settings?

by Md. Ashraful Islam, Atta Abbas Naqvi

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of several employment-related aspects on overall job satisfaction among pharmacists working in Saudi pharmacy settings.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted for a period of 1-month (December 2020) among pharmacists working in community pharmacies located in 3 cities of Saudi Arabia. Convenience sampling was employed, and the data was collected using the English version of Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) questionnaire. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23. Descriptive statistics such as mean (x¯) and 95% confidence interval range were used to report continuous data; frequency (%) and sample counts (N) were used to report categorical data. Bivariate analyses were conducted using chi square (χ²) test. A multiple linear regression model was formulated to report the employment aspects that determined overall job satisfaction of pharmacists. The study was approved by an ethics committee.

Results

A total of 241 samples were analyzed. Less than a quarter of pharmacists (N = 54, 22.4%) were satisfied with their job. The overall job satisfaction score was 130.74 out of 199. The sub-scales for co-workers and communication had scores > 15.8 out of 24; subscale for operating conditions had score > 12.5 out of 20. The subscales for promotion and rewards had scores < 14 out of 24. The aspects of communication, fringe benefits and nature of work had the highest contribution towards overall job satisfaction. For a unit increase in score for communication, fringe benefits, and nature of work, the overall job satisfaction score increased by 0.204, 0.2, and 0.199, respectively.

Conclusion

A very small number of pharmacists seemed satisfied with their job. Satisfaction with communication, nature of work and fringe benefits contributed the most toward overall job satisfaction. Results of this study could provide the means for human resource managers and organizational policy makers to delve into the determinants of satisfaction among pharmacists working in community settings.