Awareness of Health Education Environment, Teacher Efficacy, and Job Satisfaction of School Nurses in Korea

Purposes: The aim of this study was to examine the awareness of health education environment, teacher efficacy, and job satisfaction and to identify their relationship. Methods: A total of 193 school nurses from elementary/middle/high schools in Korea were enrolled in this descriptive study. The awareness of health education environment, teacher efficacy, and job satisfaction were measured using structured questionnaires. Results: The awareness on health education environment was 3.10 ± .56 on average. School nurses with positive awareness on the environment showed significantly greater efficacy and job satisfaction than those with negative awareness, and school nurses at elementary schools had positive awareness on the environment compared with those in middle/high schools. Those with work experience of 11 years or more had a positive awareness on the environment. However, heavy workload, lots of work irrelevant to school nursing and few training opportunities on health education were recognized negative items. The awareness on the health education environment was positively correlated with teacher efficacy and job satisfaction, respectively. In particular, the awareness on health education environment influenced teacher efficacy and job satisfaction. Conclusion: Teacher efficacy and job satisfaction should be enhanced through continued improvement of the health education environment to promote the effect of health education.