Are you happy with your job? Job satisfaction measures of Clinical Nutrition Managers

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As young dietitians graduate and embark on a journey to find their ideal careers, one of the largest problems they face is deciding what area of nutrition and dietetics they will enjoy most and find most rewarding.  A new, but quickly emerging role, is that of the clinical nutrition manager (CNM).  While this role is ambiguously defined in terms of scope and function, current CNMs find themselves in administrative positions in which they may be responsible for their usual clinical duties, in addition to managing resources and personnel within the clinical and food service realms.  The additional roles and responsibilities, in conjunction with insufficient managerial education, can result in job frustration and dissatisfaction.

To better quantify what problems can occur, CNMs were assessed in a multi-phase study for job satisfaction using 24 factors within several categories—pay and benefits, promotions and rewards, direct oversight, type of work and operating procedures, coworkers, and communication.  Using a 5-point Likert scale, CNMs indicated that they found satisfaction in the competency of their colleagues within the field, the variety of their daily tasks, the opportunity to mentor and educate other dietitians, and the effectiveness of teamwork among the dietitians in their organization.  On the other hand, job dissatisfaction was attributed to lack of recognition for reimbursable services, salary (when compared with other health care professionals), lack of allocated financial resources, and expectation for solving food service concerns.

While most CNMs surveyed indicated they were generally satisfied with their job, the satisfaction and dissatisfaction factors indicated can help in creating job satisfaction benchmarks, as well as clues for addressing the unique needs of the CNM.  With hope, as we conduct additional research on the role of the CNM, we can begin to integrate CNM-specific preparation methods in the dietetic curriculum, leading to more effective and satisfied managers.

Sauer, K., Howells, A., & Shanklin, C. (2015). Validating job satisfaction factors among clinical nutrition managers. Topics In Clinical Nutrition, 30(3), 199-208. doi:10.1097/TIN.0000000000000036

LH

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