Job satisfaction of occupational therapists in the public health sector, Free State Province
| dc.contributor.advisor | Van Heerden, S. M. | |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Van der Merwe, T. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Swanepoel, Juanita Millicent | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2015-11-25T11:11:24Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2015-11-25T11:11:24Z | |
| dc.date.copyright | 2010-11 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2010-11 | |
| dc.date.submitted | 2010-11 | |
| dc.description.abstract | English: The aim of this study was to investigate the job satisfaction status of occupational therapists in the Public Health Sector (PHS) of the Free State (FS). For the purpose of this study, job satisfaction referred to the occupational therapist’s perception of the fulfillment and gratification experienced while doing their work within the context of the PHS. A scientific inquiry was instigated to assess and address the job satisfaction of occupational therapists in the PHS of which the researcher, at the time of the study, was part. Employees of the PHS at that time seemed to suffer from low morale and the frequency with which occupational therapists became disillusioned with either the profession or the PHS was worrisome. The investigation was conducted by making use of multiple research methods namely questionnaires for the quantitative typical descriptive study design and semi-structured interviews for the qualitative phenomenological study design. Electronic self-administrative questionnaires were distributed to all the occupational therapists in the service of the Free State Department of Health in November 2008. Thirty-five (n=35) questionnaires were used for the analysis of quantitative data. In augmentation to this base-line data gathered, semistructured interviews with an opening question and an interview schedule were conducted among fifteen occupational therapists practicing in the PHS of the FS between November and December 2008. The thirty-five respondents in the quantitative investigation, as well as the sixteen participants in the semi-structured interviews, represented a largely homogenous group of white, Afrikaans-speaking females on senior, chief and assistant manager level. Community service occupational therapists who had already completed at least six months’ tenure were also included. Only occupational therapists directly involved in clinical services were eligible to participate in the study. The results of the study showed that the occupational therapists in the PHS of the FS experienced low levels of job satisfaction. This was found to be in contrast with most other studies conducted on the job satisfaction of occupational therapists in other parts of the world. This disparity was clarified when the contextual factors of the PHS such as; inadequate resources, excessive red-tape, poor management and an undesirable working environment were configured. The results and findings showed that the afore-mentioned facets were sources of dissatisfaction for the participants and consequently increased their job dissatisfaction. More so however, the main causes of the occupational therapists dissatisfaction were; the low status of occupational therapy as a profession and poor salary. Inadequate career-paths and disillusionment with the current performance appraisal system of the PHS added to further dissatisfaction for the participants in this study. The main source of the occupational therapists’ satisfaction with the job was that of “working with people, making a difference and experiencing success with clients”. Secondary facets of satisfaction were the relationships colleagues had with each other, inherent characteristics of the profession such as autonomy, creativity, diversity and to a lesser degree some advantages to working in the PHS such as fringe benefits and job/income security. In conclusion it was found that the job satisfaction status of the occupational therapists in the PHS of the FS was low. This was mainly due to the influence of contextual factors and not with regards to profession itself. As was the last objective of the study, extensive recommendations were made to redress the balance between job satisfaction and dissatisfaction for this population. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | Afrikaans: Die doel van die studie was om die werksbevredingstatus van arbeidsterapeute in the Openbare Gesondheidsektor (OG) van die Vrystaat (VS) te ondersoek. Vir die doel van hierdie studie het werksbevrediging verwys na die arbeidsterapeut se persepsie van die vervulling en bevrediging wat ervaar word tydens die verrigting van sy/haar werk binne die konteks van die OG. ‘n Wetenskaplike ondersoek is geloots om die werksbevrediging van arbeidsterapeute in die OG, van wie die navorsing ten tyde van die studie, deel gevorm het, te bepaal en aan te spreek. Dit het voorgekom dat werknemers van die OG ten tyde van die studie lae moraal getoon het en die veskynsel dat al hoe meer arbeidsterapeute met of die beroep, óf die OG, ontnugter word, was kommerwekkend. Die ondersoek is gedoen deur gebruik te maak van veelvuldige navorsingsmetodes byname vraelyste vir die kwatitatiewe tipiese beskrywende studie ontwerp en semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude vir die kwalitatiewe fenomenologiese studie ontwerp. Elektroniese self-administrerende vraelyste is gedurende November 2008 na alle arbeidsterapeute in die OG van die VS gestuur. Data van vyf-en-dertig (n=35) vraelyste is aangewend vir kwantitatiewe analise. Bykomend tot hierdie basis-lyn data is vyftien onderhoude met arbeidsterapeute wat in die OG van die VS praktiseer, tussen November en Desember 2008 gedoen. Die vyf-en-dertig respondente van die kwantitatiewe ondersoek sowel as die vyftien deelnemers van die semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude het ‘n hoofsaaklike homogene groep wit, Afrikaanssprekende vroue wat as senior, hoof en assistant bestuurder arbeidsterapeute in die staatsdiens werk, verteenwoordig. Gemeenskapsdiens arbeidsterapeute is ook by die studie ingesluit indien hulle reeds ses maande in diens van die OG was. Slegs arbeidsterapeute wat direk betrokke was by kliniese dienste is ingesluit. Die resultate van die studie het getoon dat die arbeidsterapeute van die OG in die VS lae vlakke van werksbevrediging ervaar. Hierdie bevinding was teenstrydig met die meeste ander studies rakende arbeidsterapeute se werksbevrediging regoor die wêreld. Die diskrepansie is geklarifieër toe kontekstuele faktore inherent aan die OG soos; onvoldoende hulpbronne, oormatige beurokrasie, swak bestuur en ‘n ontoereikende werksomgewing in ag geneem was. Die resultate en bevindinge het aangedui dat die vooraf gestipte fasette bronne van ontevredenheid was en het gevolglik die deelnemers se werkontevredenheid laat toeneem het. Meer as dit egter, was die hoof oorsake van die arbeidsterapeute se werksontevredenheid, swak status van die beroep en swak salarisse. Onvoeldoende bevorderingsgeleenthede en ontnugtering met die huidige prestasie bestuurstelsel van die OG, het tot verdere ontevredenheid vir die deelnemers van hierdie studie bygedra. Die hoofbron van tevredenheid met die werk was die geleentheid “om met mense te werk, ‘n verskil te maak en sukses met kliënte te ervaar”. Sekondêre fasette van bevrediging was die verhoudings tussen kollega’s, inherente eienskappe van die beroep soos outonomie, kreatiwiteit, diversiteit en tot ‘n mindere mate, sommige voordele van die OG soos byvoordele en werk- /inkomste sekuriteit. Ter afsluiting het die studie aangedui dat die werksbevredingstatus van arbeidsterapeute in die OG van die VS laag was. Hierdie resultaat kan hoofsaaklik toegeskryf word aan kontekstuele faktore en nie as gevolg van die beroep opsigself nie. Soos aangdui deur die laaste doelwit van die studie is uitgebreide aanbevelings gemaak ten opsigte van die herstel van die balans tussen werkstevredenheid en ontevredenheid vir hierdie populasie. | af |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11660/1921 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Occupational therapists -- Job satisfaction | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Public health services -- South Africa -- Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Job satisfaction | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Dissertation (M. Occupational Therapy (Occupational Therapy))-University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Job satisfaction of occupational therapists in the public health sector, Free State Province | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Dissertation | en_ZA |