Factores que explican la satisfacción laboral de odontólogos en Chile

Objective

To determine the factors that influence job satisfaction of dentists in Chile, in the cities of Puerto Montt and Valdivia.

Method

A cross-sectional study was conducted between April and August 2013. Two researchers (JI, VC) visited dentists working in the cities of Valdivia and Puerto Montt and asked them to answer a questionnaire about their level of job satisfaction (1-very dissatisfied to 7-very satisfied) as well as related intrinsic and extrinsic using the scale of Warr-Cook-Wall. Data were analyzed by simultaneous multiple-regression in which the linear response variable was job satisfaction and predictors were intrinsic/extrinsic factors, in order to detect those significantly associated (P < .05).

Results

A total of 171 questionnaires were completed by the dentists (91 female - 80 male), with a mean ± standard deviation age of 35.6 ± 10.7 years and seniority of 7.6 ± 8.0 years. They worked 22 ± 19 hours work in the public sector (51.5%), 10 ± 13 hours in contracted private practice (26.3%), and 10 ± 12 hours in private practice (22.2%). Overall job satisfaction level was 5.6 ± 1.1, with a significant difference for those working in their private practice (6.05 ± 0.84). This model explains 75% of job satisfaction, and the predictors were significantly associated with the amount of responsibility given, income, colleagues and fellow workers, physical working conditions, and opportunity to use abilities, the last one only in dentists from private clinics.

Conclusion

The dentists surveyed have a high level of job satisfaction, and this level was associated mostly by extrinsic factors. This information should be considered by prospective employers interested in job satisfaction of dentists.