Program

Physician Assistant M.S.

Year Approved

2016

First Advisor

Leafblad, Daniel

Abstract

The factors that contribute to job satisfaction have been studied extensively. Additionally, in the healthcare setting, the influence of spirituality has been a topic of substantial research. However, few studies have researched a physician assistant’s individual spirituality and its influence on job satisfaction. The goal of this study was to first identify the effect, if any, between the spirituality of a PA and his or her perceived job satisfaction, and second, to determine where spirituality ranks among the various factors that influence job satisfaction. In addition, the study addressed whether there appears to be a connection between one’s spirituality and one’s relationships with coworkers, as well as one’s compassion toward patients. Members of the Minnesota Academy of Physician Assistants [MAPA (MN)] and the Michigan Academy of Physician Assistants [MAPA (MI)] completed an original electronic survey that assessed self-reported perceptions of spirituality and job satisfaction. Several correlation/regression analyses were performed on the data gathered through the survey. No statistical significance was found when comparing the individual spirituality of a PA and their perceived job satisfaction. In addition, spirituality does not appear to have an impact on coworker relationships. In line with this finding, spirituality ranks very low when compared to other factors that impact job satisfaction. However, spiritual PAs perceive their individual spirituality to highly affect their compassion or empathy toward patients.

Degree Name

Masters of Science in Physician Assistant

Document Type

Masterʼs thesis

Terms of Use and License Information

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

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