Influence of Working Conditions on Job Satisfaction in Anesthetists by Kinzl, F, Knotzer, H - Article Example

Professional Article Review Professional Article Review Kinzl, F., Knotzer, H., Traweger, C., Lederer, W., Heidegger, T., & Benzer, A. (2005). Influence of working conditions on job satisfaction in anaesthetists. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 94 (2), 211-215. Summary This article explores the possible influence of working condition on job satisfaction among anaesthetists through a study involving a sample size of 125 Australian and Swiss anaesthetists. Researchers in this study were interested in studying several variables including emotional well-being, physical health, and work control, with job satisfaction as the core variable in the workplace environment. The study involved administration of questionnaires seeking responses on the different variables from a sample size of 125 anaesthetists and the data analysed using an instrument applied in the analysis of job-related stress. The study found out that anaesthetists serving in leading positions in their practice as well as specialists had lower job satisfaction compared to fellow anaesthetists without any special roles (Kinzl et al., 2005). The study further established that job satisfaction contributed to better physical health and emotional well-being among the anaesthetists. About fifty percent of the participants in the study reported high levels of job satisfaction. According to Kinzl et al. (2005), previous studies have associated job control and job demands with significant influences on the well-being of health care practitioners. Health care practitioners with significant control over their own work reported better health as opposed to those with limited control on their roles as practitioners. Variables such as poor payment, time management and promotional issues in the workplace accounted for the low job satisfaction levels among the anaesthetists involved in the study. The study failed to establish any connection between job satisfaction and gender variations as well as job workload. Based on the study findings the researchers arrived to the conclusion that working conditions significantly influence job satisfaction levels among anaesthetists. Critical Evaluation What Claims are Being Made? Kinzl et al. (2005), claim that the quality of working conditions in health care organizations strongly influence job satisfaction levels and that high job satisfaction levels among the anasthetists were attributed to the interesting nature of their occupation and the control over their professional duties. The researchers also claim that there is no connection between workload and job satisfaction among anaesthetists. It is further claimed that there is no gender differences in job satisfaction among the anaesthetists. What Evidence has been provided to Support the Claims (Research Study, Expert Opinion)? The claims are supported through a study involving a sample of anaesthetists which reveals a strong connection between the quality of working conditions and levels of job satisfaction. The claim is further supported through previous studies in the literature review section. The use of control over work as the control parameter for the study is supported by a previous study performed by Karasek and colleagues as cited in the literature section of the report. In this case, the study was supported by other studies that established correlations between different workplace variables and health workers behaviors. The fact that factors related to working conditions such as salaries, job demands and policies have been shown to influence job satisfaction, this depicts the visibility of relating the two phenomena in the study. The study investigated several variables related to working conditions such as the well-being of the workers, physical health, workload, job demands, time management and gender variations in relation to job satisfaction as a core variable in the working environment. Analysis of these variables provides adequate support for the association of working condition with job satisfaction levels among the anaesthetists. The findings on relationship between job satisfaction and working condition emerge to be quite convincing because the study not only focused working condition as a single variable, but instead evaluated several variables that are constituents of working conditions. The analysis method involving the use of an instrument applied in the analysis job-related stress serves as another strong point on the reliability of findings since stress and the different variables qualify as phenomenological studies. Is the Evidence Credible (are the Tests Relevant, Can they be Repeated, Examine Validity and Reliability)? The evidence provided in this study is indeed credible because it concurs with previous findings on related phenomena. The study can also be conducted in numerous folds with similar sample size but on different participants (eg. nurses and teachers) to confirm consistency in the research findings. The possibility of conducting the same study on different anaesthetists serves to boost the validity and reliability of the research findings. Statistical techniques applied in analysis of the data including the SPSS statistics software enhance the credibility of the evidence provided by the researchers. The self-reporting questionnaires administered to the participants also eliminated chances of data manipulation by researches thereby promoting the reliability and validity of the research findings. The research process further remained within its objective of establishing whether there was a possible correlation between job satisfaction and the working condition. Did the Author Provide Good Examples and Define Terms Well Enough to Make the Point Clear? Researchers in the study fail to provide clear definition of the different terms employed in the study, a failure that may pose a great challenge in the understanding of the study by non-health care scholars. The researchers particularly fail to define the scope of work or services carried out by anaesthetists in health care institutions as well as definition of the key terms applied in the study for easier and better understanding of the study. The authors of this study also provide minimal examples to facilitate understanding of the topic chosen in the study. What Contemporary Theoretical Perspective of Psychology Best Explains the Claims Being Made? The love and work attachment theoretical perspective of psychology best explains the correlation between job satisfaction in which individual love and attachment in doing what they do determine their job satisfaction levels. This theoretical perspective best explains how employees must love their working condition in order to translate to high levels of job satisfaction. Response I strongly agree that job satisfaction has a huge effect on one’s physical and emotional health. I also totally agree with the claims that the quality of working conditions indeed influences job satisfaction in almost every workplace environment as indicated by the study on anesthetists. This is because job satisfaction depends on many factors in the working environment including contentment with the salary and compensation package, intensity of work, safety, and working hours among other issues of time and general work relations. The findings of this study are therefore indisputable because they reflect what can be established if repeated studies were conducted, even with different occupations. A job that consumes most of the workers’ time and the workload burden often influences the job satisfaction levels of such workers. Although the study found little or no connection between workload burden and job satisfaction among anaesthetists, from a personal point of view the amount of workload burden can significantly affect my job satisfaction levels. Sometimes having too many deadlines to catch or a very hectic schedule significantly affects workers’ job satisfaction levels. Workloads may particularly affect my attitude towards my work roles translating it to low levels of satisfaction in what I do. Nevertheless, when I love doing something, workloads only become a challenge for me to work better and deliver beyond anyone’s expectations. Some of the findings in this study such as promotion prospects and development of personal skills serves as an eye-opener as I plan to look for employment in organizations with working conditions capable of providing job satisfaction. The findings of this study are particularly important because I can apply them in determining the best environment that provides job satisfaction as I plan to change my career choice in pursuit of job satisfaction. From this study, I have learned several factors such as salary package, health, time control, workloads and among other job demands. The study provides practical connections between different workplace variables and job satisfactions which I ought to consider when selecting place that I want to work with, as I pursue my career. Finally, the study has expanded my knowledge on the factors that may influence my career and enhanced my capability to make informed decisions on the choice of workplaces using the working condition variables covered in the study. Indeed, being able to find a job that will suit my personality and boost my individuality is important in achieving happiness in the real world. References Kinzl, F., Knotzer, H., Traweger, C., Lederer, W., Heidegger, T., & Benzer, A. (2005). Influence of working conditions on job satisfaction in anaesthetists. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 94 (2), 211-215. Read More