Comparison of nurses' work and life satisfactions before and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to determine the levels of life satisfaction and job satisfaction of nurses before and after COVID-19 pandemic and to determine the socio-demographic and occupational characteristics that are effective on these. Materials-Methods: The population of this descriptive study consisted of 947 nurses working in two public hospitals in Aydın province between January and May 2021. The sample of the study consisted of 407 nurses who agreed to participate in the study on the specified dates. The data of the study were collected using the 'Sociodemographic Data Collection Form', 'Scale of Satisfaction with Life' and 'Scale of Job Satisfaction'. Results: In this study, it was determined that nurses' pre-pandemic and postpandemic life satisfaction (3.13±0.93; 2.62±0.69) and job satisfaction (3.42±0.69; 3.13±0.94) scores were moderate, and the mean scores were lower after the pandemic. A significant relationship was found between pre-pandemic and post-pandemic life and job satisfactions of nurses according to age, marital status, having a child, and educational status (p<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, it was determined that the job and life satisfaction of nurses decreased in the post-pandemic period. In order to increase the job and life satisfaction of nurses during the pandemic period, academicians, clinical nurses in charge and institution managers have important responsibilities.