Impact of an Empowerment Training Program on Job Satisfaction of Nurses in Special Wards of Hospitals in Iran

Background & Aims Participating in specialized nursing empowerment training programs can improve nurses’ skills. Empowering nurses is very important for providing quality care. This study aimed to investigate the impact of an empowerment training program on the job satisfaction of nurses in Iran. Materials & Methods This is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test design. The study population consists of all nurses working in the hospitals of eight deprived cities in Iran (Ahvaz, Hormozgan, Zahedan, Ilam, Abadan, Zabol, Torbat-e Jam and Iranshahr) in 2018-2019. We selected 240 nurses with a work experience <20 years from the special wards of hospitals (ICU, CCU, dialysis, emergency) using a purposive sampling method. They were divided into two groups of intervention (n=120) and control (n=120) who were matched based on educational level, gender, work experience and age. A specialized training program was provided to the intervention group based on Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation model for three months (one 90-minute session per week), but the control group did not receive any training. ANCOVA was performed for statistical analysis in SPSS software, version 16. Results Job satisfaction after intervention was significantly different between the two groups (F=152.37, P=0.001). Empowerment training could significantly increase nurses’ job satisfaction. Conclusion Empowerment training can increase the job satisfaction of Iranian nurses. Therefore, continuous in-service empowerment training programs for nurses are recommended to promote their job satisfaction. The results of this study can help healthcare officials and policymakers in Iran identify factors affecting nurses’ skills and performance.