Emotional Labor, Burnout and Job Satisfaction among Korean Clinical Nurses

Background/Objectives: This was a cross-sectional descriptive correlation study to understand the effect of clinical nurses’ emotional labor on burnout and job satisfaction. actors affecting nurses’ emotional labor, burnout, and job satisfaction were also investigated.Method/Statistical Analysis: Ninety clinical nurses from two general hospitals located in S city were participated. Emotional labor was measured by a scale which consists of 19 items with subcategories of diversification, frequency, intensity, expression, and internalization. Burnout was measured by a scale which consists of 21 items with physical burnout, emotional burnout, and psychological burnout categories. Job satisfaction was measured by a modified scale which consists of 25 items in the area of work related environment, benefits, personnel system, peer and senior relationship. All measurements had 5 point Likert scale. The higher the total score meant the higher emotional labor, burnout, or job satisfaction.Findings: Most of the participants aged less than 39 years and 61 participants (67.8%) were not married. Most of them graduated at least college level. The range of duration of work was various from less than 2 years to more than 10 years. Nurses’ age, marital status, religions, educational level, work unit, position, and employment status did not significantly affect nurses’ emotional labor, burnout, or job satisfaction. However, nurses in their 20s (68.20 ± 10.12 vs. 63.30 ± 8.51, t=2.392, p=.019), and in two to five years of current unit experience (70.18 ± 8.75 vs. 58.60 ± 6.39, t=3.968, p=.010), and 11 to 20 patients in their care (70.56 ± 10.09 vs. 63.68 ± 8.82, t=3.738, p=.027) showed significant high levels of burnout. Also nurses in their 20s (73.24 ± 10.96 vs.78.97 ± 10.77, t=-2.435, p=.017) and salaries less than 2.5 million won (70.42 ± 7.56 vs. 79.86 ± 12.10, t=5.552, p=.005) showed significantly lower levels of job satisfaction. Nurses’ emotional labor did not correlate with burnout or job satisfaction. However, burnout had negative relationship with job satisfaction with moderate intensity (r=-.487, p=<.001).Improvements/Applications: Continuous effort to improve hospital work environment including salary and nurse-to-patient ratio would beneficial to prevent nurses’ burnout and increase job satisfaction. Furthermore, special educational or continuing programs or strategies for young and less experienced nurses should be developed and implemented.