Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study examines the current status of rehabilitation therapists in Hunan Province after the COVID-19 outbreak and identifies factors affecting their job satisfaction. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to understand the post-pandemic conditions of rehabilitation therapists in Hunan Province. METHOD: After expert review, a cross-sectional questionnaire was disseminated via WeChat using the Wenjuanxing platform. Of 809 questionnaires collected, 769 valid responses were included in the final analysis after excluding incomplete or inconsistent data. RESULTS: This study analyzed the relationships between demographic factors and job satisfaction among rehabilitation therapists. Significant differences were found in age, work experience, job title, and monthly salary level (P < 0.001). Notably, lower income was strongly associated with greater job dissatisfaction; each one-category increase in monthly income was associated with 51% lower odds of being in a higher (more dissatisfied) category of job satisfaction (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.42-0.57; P < 0.001), underscoring income as a key predictor of job satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Our investigation reveals that rehabilitation therapists' roles in Hunan have become more specialized, with monthly income emerging as a critical driver of job satisfaction. These findings underscore the need for competitive compensation and wider professional support to maintain workforce stability. By focusing on the post-pandemic landscape in Hunan Province, this study offers valuable insights that may guide policy and practice for rehabilitation therapists across China.