https://doi.org/10.15218/ejnm.2025.14 Erbil j. nurs. midwifery, Vol. 8, No. (2), Nov 2025 Original Article Job Satisfaction among Nurses Who Work in the Oncology Unit in Erbil City ABSTRACT Background and Objectives: Job satisfaction refers to a person's overall assessment of their employment, whether good or bad. Oncology nursing practitioners routinely wit- ness the suffering, misery, and death of others while working long hours in understaffed units and with a high emotional commitment. It is crucial to evaluate how happy these specialists are in their highly specialized field. This study is aimed at evaluating the job satisfaction among nurses who work in the oncology unit in Erbil City. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional Study was conducted among 31 nurses working in the oncology ward at Rizgary in the city of Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, from No- vember 2022 to April 2023. Non-probability purposive sampling is used to collect rele- vant study samples. The study sample is assessed using a questionnaire consisting of two parts. Result: According to the study, half (48.4%) of oncology nurses were dissatisfied about their pay and benefits, although the majority were just mildly unhappy. 54.8% of re- spondents had no unhappiness with workdays, while 32.3% expressed moderate satisfac- tion with work hours. The majority expressed no opinion regarding career advancement; however, there was moderate satisfaction with professional relationships (54.8%), social engagement (51.6%), and part-time jobs (41.9%). Overall, the results show that job satis- faction is moderate, with neutrality prevalent in the majority of job-related factors. Conclusion: The study concluded that factors such as gender, age, education, and work experience can influence job satisfaction among oncology nurses. Dissatisfaction was moderate regarding salary, vacation benefits, and the benefits package. Keywords: Job Satisfaction; Nurses; Oncology Wards; Sociodemographic Factors. Goran Noori Saleh; Department of Nursing, Tishk International University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Dara Abdulla Al-Banna; Department of Nursing, Tishk International University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Hanan Azad Ahmed; Department of Nursing, Tishk International University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. (Correspondence: hanan.azad@tiu.edu.iq) 133 Received: 20/07/2025 Accepted: 17/09/2025 Published: 30/11/2025 Copyright ©2025The Author(s). This is an Open Access article which licensed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It permits no additional restrictions on use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. mailto:?subject=%20 mailto:.azad@tiu.edu.iq%20) mailto:azad@tiu.edu.iq?subject=azad@tiu.edu.iq%20 mailto:jawdat.baker@hmu.edu.krd?subject=jawdat.baker@hmu.edu.krd%20%20%20 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ https://doi.org/10.15218/ejnm.2025.14 Erbil j. nurs. midwifery, Vol. 8, No. (2), Nov 2025 Original Article Job satisfaction is influenced by how much people like or loathe their jobs. It is also viewed as a collection of viewpoints on the job's numerous facets, such as salary, the nature of the workgroup, organizational dynamics, and working conditions. Because of this, job pleasure and dissatisfaction can both occur in a variety of workplace settings [1]. There is a correlation between enhanced patient outcomes and increased levels of work satisfaction among nurses [2]. Several factors are believed to influ- ence the job satisfaction of nurses, such as their workload, support, occupational safe- ty, relationships with supervisors and coworkers, and organizational structure [3]. The development of staff, the suitabil- ity of nurse staffing, the independence of nurses, their participation in policy-making, and the backing of supervisors for new ide- as were significantly influenced by relation- ship management and the linkages be- tween physicians and nurses, as well as dispute resolution. Consequently, these factors are closely associated with nurses’ job satisfaction [4]. Nurses provide patient assessments, give treatments and prescrip- tions, monitor symptoms and side effects, record nursing care and interventions, edu- cate patients and their families, and offer support. Furthermore, their collaborative contributions with other healthcare profes- sionals and patients should not be under- estimated [5]. Oncology nurses operate in a setting that entails the handling of intri- cate diseases with unfavorable outcomes, technological advancements, and frequent interactions with patients who are experi- encing pain, suffering, and nearing the end of their lives. Based on data from previous research, these issues have played a sub- stantial role in causing work dissatisfaction, stress, and burnout among oncology nurs- es [6].Therefore, the disparity between the need for oncology nurses and the availability of such nurses has increased the likelihood of nurses encountering unfa- vorable consequences, ultimately impac- ting the standard of treatment in a detri- mental manner [7]. Concerns about nur- ses' job satisfaction have long existed in healthcare systems, especially in underde- veloped nations. Research from Pakistan shows that a large number of nurses are unhappy with their working conditions, particularly with regard to salary and recognition. This kind of discontent can have a detrimental effect on retention, performance, and motivation, which in turn can lower the standard of patient care. Therefore, it is crucial to comprehend the elements that affect nurses' job happi- ness in order to enhance workforce stabili- ty and healthcare results. [8]. This study aims to investigate the impact of organiza- tional support, workload, salary and be- nefits, and compare job satisfaction levels with those working in other healthcare settings, with the ultimate goal of sugges- ting strategies to assess the job satisfaction among oncology nurses. A cross- sectional study design was conducted among nurses who are working at the On- cology Unit in Rizgary Teaching Hospital in Erbil City. The study was carried out from November 2022 to April 2023. The study sample included 31 nurses (representative sample) who are working in oncology unit at Rizgary Teaching Hospital in Erbil City, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. A non- probability, purposive sampling is used to collect the relevant study samples. All nur- ses in the oncology unit who are willing to participate and have at least one year of work experience were recruited in this stu- dy. A questionnaire, as a tool of data coll- ection, was used and had two parts. Part one consists of 134 Copyright ©2025 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article which licensed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It permits no additional restrictions on use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. INTRODUCTION METHODS https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ https://doi.org/10.15218/ejnm.2025.14 Erbil j. nurs. midwifery, Vol. 8, No. (2), Nov 2025 Original Article approval. For informal oral consent, it was taken from all participants after a detailed explanation about the purpose of the study and giving a guarantee that their personal information would be saved and secured. In addition to the above, the re- searchers told each participant that this is a voluntary work and that they can leave at any time even if the process is not com- pleted. The data were analyzed by statisti- cal software (Statistical Package for Social Science-SPSS V.26) through using descrip- tive statistical analysis (frequency and per- centage). Within this study, "job opportu- nities" is a term that refers to the social and career aspects of the nursing work en- vironment that may have some effect on job satisfaction. They include career devel- opment opportunities, participation in re- search, publication, working with peers, socialization, and flexible work hours. These aspects were assessed as subscales of the Multidimensional Job Satisfaction Scale, which is a measure of the extent to which certain domains such as salary, ben- efits, working conditions, and job opportu- nities are contributory to nurses' overall level of satisfaction. The data represents the sociodemographic characteristics of a sample of 31 oncology nurses. The sample includes 15 females and 16 males. The majority of the sample, 67.7%, are within the age range of 30 to 39 years old. More than half of the partici- pants were married (64.5%) and had a bachelor's degree (51.6%). In terms of work experience, the majority of partici- pants had experience ranging from 11 to 15 years (30.0%) and 16 to 20 years (30.0%). 10.0% of respondents had 1 to 5 years of experience, whereas nearly one- quarter (23.3%) had 6 to 10 years. Only 3.3% of participants had worked for 21–25 years and 26–30 years as well. None of the sociodemographic characteristics of nurs- es, which included age, years of experi- ence, gender, marital status, and educa- tion level; part two consists of the items regarding job satisfaction. For assessing job satisfaction, several items had been used. The Multidimensional Job Satisfaction Scale is an in-depth tool that helps assess the distinct factors contributing to an indi- vidual’s satisfaction at work. Instead of as- sessing job satisfaction as a single global construct, the scale recognizes a number of broader categories that influence how employees view their job. These categories usually relate to autonomy, collegial and supervisory interactions, professional stat- ure, accountabilities at work, organization- al norms and compensation, and some- times consider external environment fac- tors related to external colleagues or sup- port staff. The scale employs Likert-type items to determine the importance individ- uals assign to various dimensions and their level of satisfaction within each dimension. [9] It is used one of the versions of the Pro- fessional Satisfaction Index, which utilized paired comparisons and attitude scales to derive adjusted component scores [10]. A validated six-factor model offered a cultur- ally adapted model using confirmatory fac- tor analysis. These multidimensional tools offered a fuller picture of how an employ- ee perceives workplace satisfaction and helped researchers and administrators identify focused areas for organizational improvement and employee care and sup- port. In the Job Satisfaction Scale,1 coded for very dissatisfied, 2 for moderately dis- satisfied, 3 for neither satisfied nor dis- satisfied, 4 for moderately satisfied, and 5 for very satisfied. The data was collected through direct (face-to-face) interviews. For ethical considerations, the proposal was approved by the Scientific Committee from the Faculty of Nursing at Tishk Inter- national University to obtain formal 135 Copyright ©2025The Author(s). This is an Open Access article which licensed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It permits no additional restrictions on use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. RESULTS https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ https://doi.org/10.15218/ejnm.2025.14 Erbil j. nurs. midwifery, Vol. 8, No. (2), Nov 2025 Original Article participants had a postgraduate degree, as shown in table 1. The findings indicate that none of the nurs- es were very dissatisfied or very satisfied with their salary and vacation benefits. However, a large number of nurses were However, half of the nurses (45.2%) were neither dissatisfied nor satisfied with their benefits package. As for hours worked, none of the nurses were extremely dis- satisfied, but 22.6% were moderately dis- satisfied and 41.9% were neither dissatis- fied nor satisfied. Meanwhile, 32.3% of the participants were moderately satisfied with their working hours, and only 3.2% were very satisfied. Overall, the results show that job satisfaction needs to be im- proved for nurses working in oncology wards, particularly in salary and holiday benefits, as reflected in table 2. As far as the benefits package is concerned, there were not many nurses (6.5%) who were extremely dissatisfied, but almost a quar- ter (25.8%) who were moderately dissatis- fied. Nearly half of the nurses (48.4%) were neither dissatisfied nor satisfied with their salary and vacation benefits moder- ately dissatisfied with their salary (19.4%) and vacation benefits (12.9%). 136 Copyright ©2025 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article which licensed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It permits no additional restrictions on use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. Table1: Sociodemographic characteristics of nurses working in the Oncology Unit Sociodemographic Characteristics Samples (n. 31) F. (%) Gender Female 15 (48.5) Male 16 (51.5) Age group (Year) 20-29 7 (22.6) 30-39 21 (67.7) ≥ 40 3 (9.7) Marital Status Single 11 (35.5) Married 20 (64.5) Educational Level Diploma 15 (48.4) Bachelor’s degree 16 (51.6) Year of Experi- ence 1-5 3 (10) 6-10 7 (23.3) 11-15 9 (30.0) 16-20 9 (30.0) 21-25 1 (3.3) 26-30 1 (3.3) Table 2: Employee Satisfaction by Work-Related Factor Very Dissatisfied Moderately Dissatisfied Nor Dissatisfied Moderately Satisfied Very Satisfied F. (%) F. (%) F. (%) F. (%) F. (%) Salary 0 (0) 6 (19.4) 15 (48.4) 10 (32.3) 0 (0) Vacation 0 (0) 4 (12.9) 15 (48.4) 12 (38.7) 0 (0) Benefits pack- age (insurance, retirement) 2 (6.5) 8 (25.8) 14 (45.2) 7 (22.6) 0 (0) Hours of the work 0 (0) 7 (22.6) 13 (41.9) 10 (32.3) 1 (3.2) Flexibility in scheduling your hours 0 (0) 6 (19.4) 21 (67.7) 4 (12.9) 0 (0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ https://doi.org/10.15218/ejnm.2025.14 Erbil j. nurs. midwifery, Vol. 8, No. (2), Nov 2025 Original Article 137 In terms of opportunities to interact pro- fessionally with other disciplines, more than half of nurses (54.8%) were moder- ately satisfied, followed by 19.4% who were neither dissatisfied nor satisfied, and 12.9% who were very satisfied or moderately dissatisfied. Only 4 nurses (12.9%) reported being very dissatisfied. Regarding opportunities to interact with faculty of the college of nursing, 48.4% of the nurses were neither dissatisfied nor satisfied, followed by 25.8% who were moderately dissatisfied, 22.6% who were moderately satisfied, and only 1 nurse (3.2%) who was very satisfied. No nurses reported being very dissatisfied. When it comes to opportunities to belong to de- partment and institutional committees, less than half of nurses (41.9%) were nei- ther dissatisfied nor satisfied, followed by 35.5% who were moderately satisfied, 19.4% who were moderately dissatisfied, and only 1 nurse (3.2%) who was very dissatisfied. In terms of opportunities for career advancement, the majority of nurses (67.7%) reported being neither dissatisfied nor satisfied, followed by 29% who were moderately satisfied, and only 1 nurse (3.2%) who was moderately dis- satisfied. No nurses reported being very satisfied or very dissatisfied. Regarding opportunities to participate in nursing research, 38.7% of the nurses were mod- erately satisfied, followed by 29% who The data represents the levels of satisfac- tion of nurses who work in oncology units with various aspects of their job opportuni- ties. The data represent nurses’ satisfaction with different aspects of job opportunities, including professional growth, research participation, and workplace interactions. These factors were evaluated as part of the multidimensional job satisfaction assess- ment to determine how such opportunities contribute to overall job satisfaction among oncology nurses. For each aspect, the percentages of nurses who reported being very dissatisfied, moderately dissatis- fied, not dissatisfied, moderately satisfied, and very satisfied are presented. According to the results, the majority of nurses were not dissatisfied with their opportunities to work straight days, with 54.8% reporting no dissatisfaction, followed by moderately satisfied at 25.8%, and moderately dissatis- fied at 9.7%. However, 9.7% of nurses re- ported being very dissatisfied with this as- pect. In terms of opportunities for part- time work, 41.9% of nurses reported being moderately satisfied, while 29% were not dissatisfied and 16.1% were moderately dissatisfied. 12.9% of nurses reported be- ing very satisfied, while none reported be- ing very dissatisfied. Regarding social con- tact opportunities at work, half of nurses (51.6%) reported being moderately satis- fied, followed by 29% who were not dis- satisfied, and 19.4% who were very satis- fied. None of the nurses reported being dissatisfied with this aspect of their job. Similarly, for social contact opportunities with colleagues after work, less than half of nurses (45.2%) were moderately satisfied, followed by 29% who were not dissatisfied and 25.8% who were very satisfied. None of the nurses reported being dissatisfied with this aspect of their job, as shown in figure 1 in a bar graph. Copyright ©2025 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article which licensed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It permits no additional restrictions on use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. Figure 1. Different opportunities for the job https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ https://doi.org/10.15218/ejnm.2025.14 Erbil j. nurs. midwifery, Vol. 8, No. (2), Nov 2025 Original Article In terms of weekends off per month, the majority of nurses (74.2%) reported being neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, while 6.5% were moderately dissatisfied and 19.4% were moderately satisfied. There were no nurses who reported being very dissatisfied or very satisfied. Regarding flexibility in scheduling weekends off, 38.7% of nurses were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, while 35.5% were moderately dissatisfied, 19.4% were moderately satis- fied, and 6.5% were very satisfied. No nurses reported being very dissatisfied. For compensation for working weekends, 38.7% of nurses were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 41.9% were moderately dis- satisfied, 16.1% were moderately satisfied, and 3.2% were very dissatisfied. None of the nurses reported being very satisfied. Regarding maternity leave time, 38.7% of nurses were neither satisfied nor dissatis- fied, 32.3% were moderately satisfied, 25.8% were very dissatisfied, and 3.2% were moderately dissatisfied. No nurses reported being very satisfied. For childcare facilities, 45.2% of nurses were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 29% were 138 were neither dissatisfied nor satisfied, 16.1% who were very dissatisfied or very satisfied, and 5 nurses (16.1%) who were moderately dissatisfied. Finally, when it comes to opportunities to write and pub- lish, the majority of nurses (32.3%) were neither dissatisfied nor satisfied, followed by 35.5% who were moderately dissatis- fied, 12.9% who were very dissatisfied, 11 nurses (35.5%) who were moderately satisfied, and only 1 nurse (3.2%) who was very satisfied, as shown in figure 1.2. In terms of their immediate supervisors, only 3.2% of the participants reported be- ing very dissatisfied, while 35.5% reported being moderately satisfied and 9.7% re- ported being very satisfied. However, a significant proportion of participants re- ported being moderately or very dissatis- fied with their immediate supervisor (22.6% and 29%, respectively). When it comes to nursing peers, no participants reported being very dissatisfied, but 9.7% reported being moderately dissatisfied. The majority of the participants (48.4%) reported being moderately satisfied with their nursing peers, while 12.9% were very satisfied. Regarding the physicians they work with, none of the participants reported being very or moderately dis- satisfied. However, a considerable propor- tion of participants reported being neither satisfied nor dissatisfied (38.7%). Similarly, 22.6% of the participants reported being very satisfied with the physicians they work with, as shown in figure 3. Copyright ©2025The Author(s). This is an Open Access article which licensed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It permits no additional restrictions on use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. Figure 2. The different opportunities for the job Figure 3. Satisfaction with Workplace Interpersonal Relations https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ https://doi.org/10.15218/ejnm.2025.14 Erbil j. nurs. midwifery, Vol. 8, No. (2), Nov 2025 Original Article of nurses were moderately satisfied, 41.9% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 12.9% were very satisfied, and none of the nurses were very dissatisfied or moderate- ly dissatisfied. Regarding the amount of responsibility, 61.3% of nurses were mod- erately satisfied, 16.1% were neither satis- fied nor dissatisfied, 22.6% were very satis- fied, and none of the nurses were very dis- satisfied or moderately dissatisfied. Finally, for control over work conditions, 41.9% of nurses were moderately satisfied, 35.5% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 22.6% were very satisfied, and none of the nurses were very dissatisfied or moderate- ly dissatisfied, as shown in table 3. moderately satisfied, 22.6% were moder- ately dissatisfied, and 3.2% were very dis- satisfied. None of the nurses reported be- ing very satisfied. Regarding the method of care delivery used in the unit, 41.9% of nurses were moderately dissatisfied, 41.9% were neither satisfied nor dissatis- fied, 6.5% were moderately satisfied, and 6.5% were very satisfied. Only 3.2% of nurses were very dissatisfied. Regarding control over what goes on in the work setting, 51.6% of nurses were moderately satisfied, 29% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 19.4% were moderately dis- satisfied, and none of the nurses were very dissatisfied or very satisfied. For recognition of work from peers, 45.2% 139 Copyright ©2025The Author(s). This is an Open Access article which licensed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It permits no additional restrictions on use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. Table 3: distribution of satisfaction among the nurses working in oncology wards Very Dissatisfied Moderately Dissatisfied Nor Dissatisfied Moderately Satisfied Very Satisfied F. (%) F. (%) F. (%) F. (%) F. (%) Weekends off per month 0 (0) 2 (6.5) 23 (74.2) 6 (19.4) 0 (0) Flexibility in scheduling your weekends off 0 (0) 11 (35.5) 12 (38.7) 6 (19.4) 2 (6.5) compensation for working weekends 1 (3.2) 13 (41.9) 12 (38.7) 5 (16.1) 0 (0) maternity leave time 8 (25.8) 1 (3.2) 12 (38.7) 10 (32.3) 0 (0) Childcare facilities 1 (3.2) 7 (22.6) 14 (45.2) 9 (29) 0 (0) the delivery of care method used on your unit (e.g. functional, team, primary) 1 (3.2) 13 (41.9) 13 (41.9) 2 (6.5) 2 (6.5) Control over what goes on in your work setting 0 (0) 0 (0) 9 (29) 16 (51.6) 6 (19.4) Recognition of work from peers 0 (0) 0 (0) 13 (41.9) 14 (45.2) 4 (12.9) Your amount of responsibil- ity 0 (0) 0 (0) 5 (16.1) 19 (61.3) 7 (22.6) Your control over work con- ditions 0 (0) 0 (0) 11 (35.5) 13 (41.9) 7 (22.6) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ https://doi.org/10.15218/ejnm.2025.14 Erbil j. nurs. midwifery, Vol. 8, No. (2), Nov 2025 Original Article education, age, and work experience had a strong role in determining the job satisfac- tion of nurses employed in Jordan. The study revealed no statistically significant correlation between sociodemographic factors, such as gender and marital status, and job satisfaction. Another study con- ducted by [13] investigated the influence exerted by sociodemographic factors on the job satisfaction of nurses employed in South Africa. The study established that age, education level, and work experience years were powerful predictors of job satisfaction, while variables such as gender and marriage status were insignificant pre- dictors. Relative to these studies, the cur- rent study concluded that variables such as gender, age, marriage status, education level, and work experience were all power- ful determinants of job satisfaction among oncology ward nurses. However, observe that the sample used in this study was very small, which may limit the generalizability of findings [12, 13, 14], carried out re- search into job satisfaction among oncolo- gy nurses in China and confirmed the same results regarding dissatisfaction with pay and benefits. Overall, 59.4% of nurses re- ported dissatisfaction with their salary, and 50.6% reported dissatisfaction with their benefits. In terms of job satisfaction, the research found that nurses with greater levels of education and work experience were more job-satisfied. The study indicat- ed that heavy workloads and extended working hours negatively impact job satis- faction. Another study by [15] investigated job satisfaction among oncology nurses in Brazil and found that job satisfaction was positively correlated with the level of edu- cation, compensation, and job security. The study also found that nurses who re- ported greater work-related social support and autonomy reported greater job satis- faction. The study, however, found that workload, inadequate staffing, and Job satisfaction is a key component of nurses’ overall well-being and is closely linked to retention, productivity, and job performance. In the case of oncology unit nurses, job satisfaction is even more im- portant given the nature of their work and how it can be emotionally demanding. The findings of this study have important im- plications for nursing practice and can serve as a foundation for creating inter- ventions to increase job satisfaction among nurses working in oncology wards. If it is understood what aspects of job satisfaction are important for this group of nurses, interventions can be tailored to improve their well-being, work perfor- mance, and general job satisfaction. Find- ings of this study have important implica- tions for nursing practice and can help in- form future efforts to improve the alloca- tion of nursing resources in oncology units. Understanding job satisfaction among nurses is crucial in ensuring that patients receive appropriate care and that nurses are working in roles that suit their skills and qualifications. Sociodemographic fac- tors, such as gender, age, marital status, and educational level, can play an im- portant role in shaping job satisfaction among nurses working in oncology units. This is supported by [11], who found that personal and demographic characteristics influenced nurses' stress levels and job satisfaction in cancer settings. For exam- ple, variations in education level or years of experience can influence nurses’ job responsibilities and tasks. Additionally, fac- tors such as marital status and age may impact the availability of nurses to work certain shifts or take on certain responsi- bilities. There have been several studies that have investigated the role of socio- demographic factors in shaping job satis- faction among nurses. One piece of re- search conducted by [12] found that 140 Copyright ©2025The Author(s). This is an Open Access article which licensed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It permits no additional restrictions on use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. DISCUSSION https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ https://doi.org/10.15218/ejnm.2025.14 Erbil j. nurs. midwifery, Vol. 8, No. (2), Nov 2025 Original Article a month, or else they are not concerned with how much they are getting. As far as planning weekends off for themselves, higher percentages of nurses were not satisfied at the 35.5% rate with moderate dissatisfaction. This could be read to mean that perhaps nurses do not feel that they are in charge of planning weekends off themselves. Regarding receiving pay for working weekends, a high percentage of nurses were highly or moderately dissatis- fied. Nurses may feel they are not fairly compensated for the additional work as- signed during weekends. Regarding the duration of maternity leave, a greater number of nurses reported being very dis- satisfied, indicating that they may perceive the time off following childbirth as inade- quate. Finally, regarding childcare facilities, more nurses were moderately or very dis- satisfied. This may show that nurses may not feel that they have adequate childcare facilities to utilize, which may impact their work performance. Overall, this infor- mation indicates that there is some poten- tial for improvement in many aspects of job satisfaction among nurses. Those in- clude pay for working on weekends, ma- ternity leave duration, and availability of childcare facilities. In Erbil city, there are two public teaching hospitals specializing in oncology: Rizgary Teaching Hospital and Nanakali Teaching Hospital. However, Nanakali Teaching Hospital did not permit us to collect data for this study, resulting in a limited sample size, as we only gathered data from all staff members working in the oncology ward at Rizgary Teaching Hospi- tal. inadequate resources negatively affected job satisfaction. This study emphasizes the need for healthcare organizations to ad- dress areas such as compensation, bene- fits, workload, and resources to improve job satisfaction among nurses. If we place in comparison what we have discovered in this research as shown in Figures 1,2, and 3 with other research, e.g., the systematic reviews of [16] and [17], who identified factors influencing job satisfaction of nurs- es, e.g., workload, remuneration, and com- munication with colleagues. [18] conduct- ed a literature review on job satisfaction among nurses and concluded that it is a complex and multifaceted concept which may be influenced by environmental, or- ganizational, and individual factors. Draw- ing a comparison of research on oncology ward nurses with these other studies, there can be an identification of similarities and differences. For example, the study on nurses working in cancer wards deter- mined that the majority of nurses were satisfied with career development opportu- nities, whereas the systematic reviews con- ducted by [16] and [17] determined that pay and opportunities for advancement were primary motivators of job satisfaction among nurses. In the same way, the study among oncology ward nurses concluded that possibilities for social interaction with others in the workplace and with cowork- ers outside of work were generally satisfac- tory, which is consistent with the study of [18] that coworker and supervisor relation- ships can be a major factor in job satisfac- tion. It is noteworthy that, among all the factors listed, no nurses reported being very satisfied. This means that there is scope to improve in all these dimensions. When it comes to weeks off a month, the majority of nurses responded neither satis- fied nor dissatisfied. This could imply that they may not have a specific preference for any particular number of weekends off 141 Copyright ©2025The Author(s). This is an Open Access article which licensed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It permits no additional restrictions on use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ https://doi.org/10.15218/ejnm.2025.14 Erbil j. nurs. midwifery, Vol. 8, No. (2), Nov 2025 Original Article Increase career advancement: Nurses with greater education levels were found to experience higher job satisfaction levels. There should be motivation for career growth among nurses in health care or- ganizations. Foster supportive work envi- ronments: Nurses who feel supported and valued in the work environment are more likely to have greater job satisfaction. Healthcare organizations must foster sup- portive work environments by providing opportunities for collaboration and team- work, valuing and rewarding nurses for their hard work (e.g., with money, a letter of gratitude, or grant opportunities), and promoting open communication and re- spect for cultures. [1] Culibrk J, Delic M, Mitrovic S, Culibrk D. Job satisfaction, organizational commitment and job involvement: The mediating role of job involvement. Front Psychol. 2018;9:132. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00132. [2] Al-Dwaikat TN, Rababah HH, Al-Hammouri MM, Chghriwat MN. The relationship be- tween work-related stress and job satisfac- tion among nurses in Jordan. J Nurs Manag. 2019;27(7):1458–66. doi: 10.1111/ jonm.12781. [3] Hamdan M, Hamra AA. Burnout among workers in emergency departments in Pal- estinian hospitals. BMC Health Serv Res. 2017;17(1):407. doi: 10.1186/s12913-017- 2306-9 [4] De Simone S, Planta A, Cicotto G. The role of job satisfaction, work engagement, self- efficacy and agentic capacities on nurses' turnover intention and patient satisfaction. BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):227. doi: 10.1186/s12913-018-3013-z [5] Zareifar S, Haghpanah S, Beigipour Z, Hos- seini S, Molavi MA, Naderi M. Job satisfac- tion and stress levels of nurses working in oncology wards; a multicenter study. Galen Med J. 2017;6(2):128–35. doi: 10.31661/ gmj.v6i2.722. [6] Specchia ML, Cozzolino MR, Carini E, Di Pilla A, Galletti C, Ricciardi W, et al. Leadership styles and nurses’ job satisfaction. Results of a systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(4):1552. The study found that oncology nurses in Rizgary Hospital experience moderate overall job satisfaction, with neutrality pre- vailing across most job-related factors. While nurses reported satisfaction with professional relationships, responsibility, and control over work conditions, dissatis- faction was notable regarding salary, vaca- tion benefits, and overall benefits packag- es. Demographic factors such as age, gen- der, education, and years of experience influenced satisfaction levels. Career ad- vancement, research participation, and ac- ademic collaboration opportunities were limited, and issues such as weekend com- pensation and scheduling flexibility were identified as concerns. These findings sug- gest that improving compensation, bene- fits, professional development opportuni- ties, and supportive management practices could enhance job satisfaction, reduce turnover, and promote higher-quality care for oncology patients. Drawing on the study’s findings, the follow- ing recommendations can be made. Health care organizations, such as the Ministry of Health and relevant policymakers, should increase salaries and benefits to recruit and retain high-quality nurses. Improve working conditions: A significant propor- tion of nurses reported dissatisfaction with their work schedules in the study. In addi- tion to providing flexible schedules that enable nurses to manage their personal and professional lives, healthcare facilities should seek to enhance working conditions by strategically expanding their workforce in order to reduce staffing shortages. By reducing excessive workloads, minimizing overtime, and improving overall job satis- faction, hiring more nurses can improve patient care and retain qualified personnel. 142 Copyright ©2025 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article which licensed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It permits no additional restrictions on use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. CONCLUSION REFERENCES RECOMMENDATIONS https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ https://doi.org/10.15218/ejnm.2025.14 Erbil j. nurs. midwifery, Vol. 8, No. (2), Nov 2025 Original Article Med J Islam Repub Iran. 2017;31:130. doi: 10.22038/mjiri.2017.9255 [18] Al Sabei SD, Labrague LJ, Miner Ross A, Karkada S, Albashayreh A, Al Masroori F, et al. Nursing work environment, turnover in- tention, job burnout, and quality of care: The moderating role of job satisfaction. J Nurs Scholarsh. 2020;52(1):95-104. doi: 10.1111/jnu.12528. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18041552 [7] Kaiser JA, Westers JB. Nursing teamwork in a health system: A multisite study. J Nurs Manag. 2018;26(5):555-562. doi: 10.1111/ jonm.12582. [8] Sallam M, Al-Salahat K, Nofal A. Job satisfac- tion and burnout among oncology nurses in Jordan: A cross-sectional study. Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2022;78:103756. doi: 10.1016/ j.amsu.2022.103756 [9] Morais BX, Pedro CMP, Dalmolin GL, Silva AM. Professional satisfaction of nursing workers from a service of hematology- oncology. Revista Rene. 2018;19:e3165. doi: 10.15253/2175-6783.2018193165 [10] Aloisio LD, Gifford WA, McGilton KS, Borschneck A, Estabrooks CA, Rycroft- Malone J, et al. Factors associated with job satisfaction among care aides in residential long-term care: A cross-sectional study. Int J Nurs Stud. 2021;116:103372. doi: 10.1016/ j.ijnurstu.2021.103891 [11] Haghpanah S, Zareifar S, Beigipour Z, Hos- seini S, Molavi M A, Naderi M. Job satisfac- tion and stress levels of nurses working in oncology wards; a multicenter study. Galen Medical Journal. 2017;6(2):e722. doi:10.31661/gmj.v6i2.722 [12] Al‐Hamdan Z, Manojlovich M, Tanima B. Jordanian nursing work environments, in- tent to stay, and job satisfaction. J Nurs Scholarsh. 2017;49(1):103–10. doi: 10.1111/ jnu.12265. [13] Moyo I, Gwele NS. Job satisfaction and its associated factors among nurses in a public hospital in South Africa. J Nurs Manag. 2022;30(2):496-503. doi: 10.1111/ jonm.13506. [14] Zhang YY, Han WL, Qin W, Yin HX, Zhang CF, Kong C, et al. Extent of compassion satisfac- tion, compassion fatigue and burnout in nursing: A meta-analysis. J Nurs Manag. 2018;26(7):810–9. doi: 10.1111/jonm.12589 [15] da Silva VR, de S Velasque L, Tonini T. Job satisfaction in an oncology nursing team. Rev Bras Enferm. 2017;70(5):988–95. doi: 10.1590/0034-7167-2016-0422. [16] Isfahani P, Sarzehi T. Job satisfaction among nurses in hospitals of Iran: A systematic re- view and meta-analysis. Pajouhan Sci J. 2019;17(4):1–8. doi: 10.52547/psj.17.4.1. [17] Shahri SSS, Ghashghaee A, Behzadifar M, Bragazzi NL, Behzadifar M, Mousavinejad N, et al. Depression among Iranian nurses: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 143 Copyright ©2025 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article which licensed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It permits no additional restrictions on use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/