Abstract:
Motivated human resources are the most important assets of any healthcare organization. Human resources,
especially the nurses, work directly with the health consumers (patients). As such, when nurses are motivated,
the work productivity increases resulting in good care outcomes. However, it is widely acknowledged that health
systems, especially in developing countries like Kenya, are not producing the desired outcomes of health
interventions due to factors such as insufficient skilled and experienced health personnel, demotivated health
personnel, lack of management skills, poor working conditions and environment and inadequate remuneration.
Therefore, the study examined the strategies that may be used by hospitals to improve physicians and nurses’
professional satisfaction drawing lessons from a study conducted at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in
Eldoret, Kenya. The study used a descriptive quantitative research design. Data was collected using a structured
questionnaire that was administered to a stratified sample of 82 Physicians and 220 Nurses. All the completed
questionnaires were entered into IBM SPSS 21.0 statistical software and data analysed for descriptive statistics.
The results were presented in tables and figures. The study was powered to 95% confidence interval. From the
study findings on the strategies for improving physicians’ and nurses’ professional satisfaction, it was suggested
that the hospital should strengthen working relationships between employees and supervisors, ensure good
working relationships with professional associations and provide clear direction about career advancement on
medical/nursing services. Therefore, healthcare systems need to mainstream their organizational structure to
facilitate patient care through consultative processes with physicians and nurses. The need for interdepartmental
support and strengthened working relationships between physicians and nurses in healthcare environment is
also an important strategy to influencing satisfaction.
