Exploring factors associated with nurses' job dissatisfaction in China: a qualitative approach

Abstract Nurses’ job dissatisfaction poses a significant challenge to healthcare systems worldwide. While existing studies have identified key factors, the mechanisms associated with nurses’ job dissatisfaction within China's specific socio-organizational and individual contexts have yet to be thoroughly explored. This study aims to investigate the critical factors contributing to nurses’ job dissatisfaction in China from a multi-level perspective using qualitative methods. Semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and field observations were conducted with nurses from various regions and healthcare settings in China. Thematic analysis was applied to extract core and sub-themes. The findings revealed that nurses' job dissatisfaction arises from three key levels: societal (low salary, lack of professional value recognition, and work-life balance conflict), organizational (high workload, management issues, and insufficient training), and personal (mismatch between career expectations and reality, relationship and emotional Issues, and psychological challenges). This study provides multi-dimensional empirical evidence for improving nurses’ job satisfaction and suggests targeted interventions through socail, organizational, and individual levels to address this issue effectively.