Work Environment, Burnout, and Job Satisfaction Among Nurses in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abstract

This study examined the nursing work environment, burnout, and job satisfaction among staff nurses in a selected hospital in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Utilizing a descriptive-correlational research design, the study surveyed a final analytic sample of 143 full-time clinical staff nurses, yielding an effective response rate of 71.5%. Data were collected using the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI), the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), and the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short Form (MSQ-SF). Analysis was performed using STATA MP-Parallel Edition (Version 18), employing descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rho correlation. The findings revealed a moderately favorable work environment, with "Collegial Nurse-Physician Relations" emerging as the strongest domain, while "Staffing and Resource Adequacy" was identified as the most significant area for improvement. The burnout assessment indicated moderate levels of personal and work-related exhaustion, contrasted with low levels of client-related burnout, suggesting that nurse fatigue in this context was predominantly organizational rather than clinical in origin. Job satisfaction was moderate overall, characterized by high intrinsic fulfillment derived from patient care but constrained by lower extrinsic satisfaction related to pay and workload. Correlation analysis demonstrated that a favorable work environment is significantly associated with lower burnout and higher job satisfaction, while burnout serves as a critical pathway through which structural deficits erode professional fulfillment. The study concludes that the current workforce is professionally engaged but structurally strained, and that it relies heavily on nurses' intrinsic motivation as a finite buffer against systemic pressures. Recommendations include establishing a Nursing Workforce Task Force, implementing shared governance structures, and reviewing staffing standards and weekly working hours to ensure the long-term sustainability of high-quality care.