Background: Job satisfaction is linked to demographic variables such as age, gender, experience, and position, as well as some organizational attributes such as pay, advancement, work wellbeing and security, working conditions, work independence, relationships with coworkers, and relationships with administrators, and the nature of the work.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of job satisfaction among nurses working in intensive care units of public and private health care settings, and to identify the highest degree of job satisfaction among nurses working in both settings.

Methodology: A quantitative cross-sectional study was carried out among 30 registered nurses working at different ICUs in public and private hospitals. A non-probability convenience sampling technique was used to collect data. Data was analyzed using statistical software (SPSS) version 25. Independent T-test was applied to compare means of two groups.The data was presented in tables, graphs and in frequencies.

Results: Among all participants including 15 (50%) participants are form public hospital and 15 (50%) private hospitals, 20% were male and 80% female. The job satisfaction among the public hospital nurses was high as compared to the private hospital nurses. The mean ±standard deviation value for the job satisfaction of registered nurses who were working in the intensive care units of the public hospital was 3.08 ± 0.147. Whereas the mean ± standard deviation of the value of registered nurses working in the private hospital intensive care unit was 2.71 ± 0.300.

Conclusion: The registered nurses working in the public sector institutions were more satisfied with their job as compared to the nurses who were performing their duties in the private health care settings. The nurses who were working in the private sector were having low degree of the job security and were not having any facility or the financial support after retirement, therefore, they were less satisfied with their jobs.

Job satisfaction is very important among healthcare employees. It is especially vary incredible for the nursing staff working in different zones of hospitals (Guan et al., 2020). Job satisfaction refers to the strong bond that exists between an employee and the company for which he is compensated. The feeling of accomplishment of any goal or target is referred to as satisfaction (Soto-Rubio et al., 2020). Job satisfaction, perhaps the most generally contemplated issue in the pertinent writing, might be characterized as the pleasurable enthusiastic state coming about because of the evaluation of one's work as accomplishing or working with the accomplishment of one's work esteems (Poursadeghiyan et al., 2016).

Growing population, rising literacy rates, technology advancements, and globalization in every facet of life have expanded the health-care organization's borders and dimensions (Keesara, Jonas, & Schulman, 2020). Managers maintain working standards in order to improve the organization's efficacy and production. Healthcare executives strive to give patients with high-quality care. Moreover, they also strive to provide workers with appropriate data frameworks, modern clinical equipment, work skills, and motivators in order to achieve authoritative execution. (Kim, Johansen, Zhu, & Review, 2020).

Individuals' workplaces are always a second home. They spend the majority of their time with their coworkers, employers, seniors, and juniors. All of these factors contribute to a working environment that has an impact on their mental health and job satisfaction (Pinzone, Guerci, Lettieri, & Huisingh, 2019). Employment satisfaction, as defined by the literature, is the degree to which a person feels relaxed and enjoys themselves as a result of many characteristics and amenities linked with their job. Job satisfaction is linked to demographic variables such as age, gender, experience, and position psychological factors such as positively motivated behavior of employees, as well as some organizational attributes such as pay, advancement, work wellbeing and security, working conditions, work independence, relationships with coworkers, and relationships with administrators, and the nature of the work (Das et al., 2020).

Job satisfaction as an outcome and predicting variable has been screened with multiple pathological conditions. Some previously existing studies suggest that measured clinical benefit, irresistible sickness concerns, and remedial reactions to prisoner clinical requirements caused pressure for the studied staff. The finding that worries over irresistible sicknesses methodology is connected to pressure is of little shock. Microorganisms concealed by the unaided eye can harm an individual and may even prompt passing. This dread probably prompts expanded occupation stress (Doin et al., 2009). In addition, a meta-investigation affirmed that work-related tension is a central point identified with the work fulfillment of attendants. The discomfort situations at the workplace reduce the overall satisfaction level of a person. The job characteristic model situates that task performance increases the motivation in employees which improves the overall performance of employees (Lorber et al., 2017).

The widespread nursing shortage and nurses’ high turnover has become a global issue  which is of increasing importance to both the developed and developing countries (Suresh, Kodikal, & Research, 2015). In light of this, concern about recruitment and retention of nursing staff is increasing in a number of countries. While numerous factors have been linked to nurses’ turnover, job satisfaction is the most frequently cited, and therefore merits attention (Bjørk, Samdal, Hansen, Tørstad, & Hamilton, 2007).

Purpose of the Study
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of job satisfaction among nurses working in intensive care units of public and private health care settings, and to identify the highest degree of job satisfaction among nurses working in both settings.

Study Design, Population, & Setting
A quantitative cross sectional design was followed to achieve the objective of the study. The population of the study was registered Nurses working in public and private tertiary care hospitals intensive care units at Islamabad, Pakistan.

Sample Size
The sample size was calculated by Rao software taking 95% of confidence interval and 5% of margin of error. The total population was 32 and calculated sample size was 30. It was divided into two groups, each group has 15 participants, and each group from public and private sector respectively.

Sampling Technique
Non-probability random convenience sampling technique was used to collect the data. Convenient sampling was used because of limited period of time and resources.

Data Collection Tool
For data collection, self-structured questionnaire was developed, which consisted of 13 questions regarding job satisfaction among nurses.

Inclusion Criteria
The registered intensive care nurses working in private and public hospitals at Islamabad having the work experience of six months or more were included in this research study.

Ethical Consideration
Ethical consideration for this study was taken from ethics & research committee of the Institute. Permission letter for data collection was signed from Chief Nurse Services (CNS) of both hospitals. Written Informed consent was also be given to each participant before data collection. Confidentiality was maintained throughout the study.

Data Analysis
Data was analyzed using statistical software (SPSS) version 25. Continuous data has been expressed as mean ± standard deviation to analyze. Chi-square and correlation test was applied to ordinal and continuous data respectively to assess relationship between different variables. Independent T-test was applied to compare means of two groups.The data was presented in tables, graphs and in frequencies.

Demographic Variables
It is highlighted in the table 1 that out of total 30 respondents, 15 were from private hospital, whereas the 15 belonged to the public hospital. About 80% of them were female whereas the 20% were male. Similarly, 53.3% of them were having the diploma, whereas 20% was having BSN, and 26.7% were having Post RN BSN level education. Similarly, majority of them were single. There were about 76.7% of the nurses who were not married. On the base of designation, there were about 93.3% of them who were registered nurses, whereas 6.7% were having the designation of head nurse. About 53.3% of them were having 06 to 10 years of experience and 40% were have less than five years work experience.

Age of the Participants
The figure 1 is showing the age of respondent. The majority of the registered nurses were age limit of 25 years. There were about 13 nurses who are having 25 years of age and seven were belonging to 26 years of age. Similarly, the rest of the respondents on the basis of age are given the figure 1.

Descriptive Statistical Analysis
The table 4.3 highlights the descriptive statistical analysis of the job satisfaction and its measuring scale item both at the variable level and scale item level. The job satisfaction is having mean ± standard deviation value 2.90 ± 0.298. The minimum and maximum response was showing the range of response which the nurses reply to the variable of job satisfaction.

Comparative Analysis of Job Satisfaction among Private and Public Sector Nurses
The table 3 is the outcome of one way ANOVA. It analyzed the competitively analysis of the job satisfaction among the nurses of private and public institutions. It is highlighted in the table that both workplaces of registered nurses i.e. private hospital and public hospital are significantly positively associated with the satisfaction of the nurses. However, the job satisfaction among the public hospital nurses is high as compared to the private hospital nurses. The mean ±standard deviation value for the job satisfaction of registered nurses who are working in the intensive care units of the public hospital is 3.08 ± 0.147. Whereas the mean ± standard deviation of the value of registered nurses working in the private hospital intensive care unit is 2.71 ± 0.300. It was indicating that the public hospital nurses are more satisfied with their services.

The job satisfaction is a very important factor for the progress of an employee in an organization. There are multiple factors which are affecting the job satisfaction of the registered nurses in a hospital. The factor which are affecting the job satisfaction of a nurse in a hospital can include the family imbalance, work burnout, extensive burden, workplace harassment and abusive behavior of seniors. However, there are multiple other factors which can affect the job satisfaction of nurses such as low pay scale, low compensation for their work, interrupted work balance the current research study was analyzing the job satisfaction of registered nurses and working in private and public hospital is intensive care units (Pillay, 2009).

For the comparative analysis of the job satisfaction of the registered nurses working in intensive care units of the public and private hospitals a comparative analysis was done on the 30 registered working nurses, 15 from the each sector of the hospital. It was an analyzed majority of the nurses were female. The proportion of female nurses was 80% and 53.38% of them were having the diploma level education and 76.7% were single. Similarly 93.2% of them were working as their registered nurses in the hospital whereas the 6.7% were working as the head nurse. There were 53.3% the nurses who were having their working experiences less than six to 10 years.

Furthermore, it was investigated in the research study that the nurses who were working in the public hospital were having higher level of the job satisfaction as compared to the nurses serving in the private institutions. The mean ± standard deviation value for the job satisfaction of the nurses working in the public sector hospitals was 3.08 ± 0.147. Whereas the mean ± standard deviation value for the job satisfaction of the nurses who are working in the payment hospitals were 2.71 ± 0.300. A research study published in the Journal of Human resource for the healthy was analyzing the word satisfaction of the professional nurses in South Africa. It was a competitive analysis of the public and private sector nurses. The research study included 569 professional nurses, and the data was collected in a cross sectional method from South Africa through the self-administered questionnaire. It was reported through data questionnaire that private sector nurses who are generally satisfied while the public sector nurses who are generally dissatisfied public sector nurses were most dissatisfied with their pay workload and the resource available to them (Pillay, 2009).

The findings of current research study which is conducted in Pakistan was having a different research outcome. It is analyzed in this research study that nurses working in the private institution are more dissatisfied with their job, whereas the those who are working in the public institution are more satisfied with the with their work. The reason for their satisfaction were most durable job security, high pay scale, security from outsiders as well as the pensionable job. Whereas the facilities in Pakistan for the nurses working in private sectors are relatively low as compared to the public sector therefore, the nurses are more satisfied in the public sector hospital as compared to the private hospitals.

It has been concluded by the extensive statistical analysis by using this primary data collected from the private and public sector hospitals that the registered nurses working in the public sector institutions are more satisfied with their job as compared to the nurses who are performing their job in the private institutions. The reason for the higher satisfaction level of nurses serving in public hospitals is that they are having a job security, pensionable job and work family balance as compared to the private sector registered nurses. The nurses who are working in the private sector are having low degree of the job security and they are not having any facility or the financial support after retirement, therefore, they are less satisfied with their job.