Job satisfaction among foreign-born skilled nursing facility employees in Washington State

Abstract

The need for long-term care is growing, related in part to aging societies, military-related disability, and insurance reforms. This care depends upon a workforce that is reliable, one that cannot be outsourced or readily replaced by technology, and is increasingly foreign-born. Satisfaction among these workers has many implications, including effect on turnover rates and quality of care. This cross-sectional exploratory study sought to further define predictors of satisfaction among a sample of foreign-born nursing home workers in Seattle, Washington through combined quantitative and qualitative methodology. Questionnaire data indicated significant foreign-born representation among respondents. Cross-tabulations and regression analysis yielded strongest (negative) predictors of satisfaction in experiencing: language proficiency as barrier to work goals, feeling afraid about living in the US, and weight gain since coming to the US. Focus groups revealed further important satisfaction-related themes of respect, communication, interpersonal work environment, and expectations of life in the US and elder care. These findings are important to understanding the economic, societal and ethical ramifications of the care received by the world’s elders, as well as general populations in health-worker-deprived low-and-middle-income countries from which many of these workers emigrate.