Abstract
BACKGROUND: Nurses constitute the majority of the healthcare workforce, and it is imperative to develop a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence their job satisfaction. While considerable knowledge exists regarding the organizational factors that elicit job satisfaction, limited research has been conducted on personal factors. This study aimed to determine and prioritize the impact of personal factors (motivation, professional identity, and job engagement) on nurses' job satisfaction. DESIGN: This study is a form of applied research conducted in a descriptive-correlational manner, with an emphasis on structural equations. METHOD: The statistical population of the present study encompassed all nurses of the public hospitals of Tehran, from which 398 were selected as a sample utilizing multi-stage stratified sampling. The data collection instruments were validated Persian forms of Job Descriptive Index questionnaires, nurses' professional identity, work engagement, and London job motivation. Cronbach's alpha was used to verify the reliability of the instruments, all of which were above 0.7. Descriptive statistics, structural equation modeling, and prioritization and weighting were employed to analyze the data using the Analytical Network Process (ANP) method, utilizing SPSS-23, AMOS-26, and Super Decisions-3.0. RESULTS: The findings confirmed the research model and the relationship between personal factors and nurses' job satisfaction. Furthermore, the findings pertaining to the prioritization of personal factors affecting nurses' job satisfaction revealed that professional identity, with a weight of 0.459, had the highest weight and occupied the first position, followed by motivation with a weight of 0.392. Job engagement, with a weight of 0.147, was ranked third. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that personal factors can influence job satisfaction, with professional identity being of greater significance. Enhanced job satisfaction may be achieved through the creation of a respectful and equitable work environment, the strengthening of professional identity development programs, and the establishment of a favorable image of the profession.