Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction Among Intensive Care Unit Nurses: A Single-Center Cross-Sectional Study

Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are the most dynamic healthcare units where the vital functionsof critically ill patients are supported with advanced technology and a multidisciplinaryapproach. The quality of healthcare provided in this high-risk environment depends on thesuccess of the teamwork of all healthcare personnel. The competence, attention, andperformance of nurses are particularly important. Intensive care nurses are the primarypractitioners of patient care, monitoring them 24 hours a day. In addition to providingphysical care, they are key healthcare professionals who also manage the psychologicalprocesses of patients and their relatives [1,2] .The high stress and long working hours associated with caring for complex patients with highrates of morbidity and mortality create significant psychosocial pressure on nurses. Thesechallenging working conditions directly affect not only the physical health of nurses but alsotheir professional satisfaction and job motivation. Studies clearly show that low jobmotivation not only causes burnout but also increases the risk of medical errors, reduces thequality of care, and triggers the intention to leave the institution [3,4] .Job motivation can be defined as the willingness of a healthcare worker to strive toward thegoals of the institution. This is vital for the sustainability of quality healthcare delivery [5]Especially considering the increased workload and staff shortages in the post-pandemicperiod, understanding the "intrinsic" and "extrinsic" motivation sources of intensive carenurses has become one of the priority issues of health management [6]. No matter how high anurse's technical knowledge is, lack of motivation is an invisible barrier that prevents thisknowledge from being reflected in the clinic.Although there are numerous studies in the current literature focusing on the stress andburnout levels of intensive care workers, research examining the specific effects of thesefactors on work motivation using current scales is limited [7,8]. In this context, our study aimsto determine the work motivation levels of nurses working in the intensive care units of atertiary training and research hospital using the "Work Motivation Scale" and to analyze thedemographic and occupational variables affecting motivation.