Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the professional self-concept and job satisfaction of clinical nurses. The subjects consisted of 569 nurses who work at a university hospital and 6 general hospitals in Daegu, Kyungpook and Kyungnam. The findings are as follows: The average item score of professional self-concept was 2.68. The mean item scores of professional self-concept in each dimension were as follows: 2.77 for professional practice: 2.33 for satisfaction: 2.91 for communication. The average item score of job satisfaction was 2.79. The mean item scores of job satisfaction in each dimension were as follows: 3.39 for interaction : 3.27 for professional status; 3.19 for autonomy : 2.90 for doctor-nurse relationship: 2.57 for administration: 2.41 for task requirements: 2.16 for pay. The stronger a subject's professional self-concept, the stronger the job satisfaction. The relationship between general characteristics and professional self-concept shows a significant difference with regard to age, religion, marital status, period of nursing career, and position. The relationship between general characteristics and job satisfaction shows a significant difference with regard to age, religion, educational level, work setting, period of nursing career, position, and region. In conclusion, this study suggests that we need to develop a program for improving professional self-concept of clinical nurses through nursing education.