Satisfaction of work and professional performance of pediatricians who develop hospital activities Original Research

Abstract

Introduction: Job satisfaction is a topic that stands out in health organizations and companies, considering employees as their most valuable asset. Job performance satisfaction can be studied. The objective of this study was to analyze the sociodemographic variables and the perceptions of pediatricians who graduated from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE) about their work.

Methods: The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) job satisfaction survey was used. The study is observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional, through an online questionnaire to pediatricians from the 8 PUCE graduate classes.

Results: Of the 202 pediatricians, 182 answered the survey (90.09% rate). 40.1% are 36-40 years old; the majority are women (73.62%), and 49.5% work as pediatricians between 2 and 4 years. 62.6% work in the public sector. The results showed a mean general job satisfaction of 44% and a high of 29.1%, a mean intrinsic satisfaction of 48.4%, and a mean extrinsic satisfaction of 36.8%. Staying in the workplace for more than four years is the only factor significantly associated with experiencing high extrinsic satisfaction. Social recognition through praise determines satisfaction, while dissatisfaction with progress in the workplace.

Conclusions: This research allows us to identify the employment situation of PUCE graduate pediatricians, which can help identify improvement measures. The survey indicates that satisfaction is at a moderate level to not completely satisfied, and permanence in employment constitutes the most significant variable for the specialists.