Abstract

Background and Aim: Motivation is an important tool to motivate nurses to provide empathetic and safe care in complicated working conditions and crisis. This study aimed to survey the relationship between job motivation and empathy in nurses working in a military hospital in Shiraz in 2014. Methods: A descriptive- correlational and sectional study was done on 102 nurses working in a military hospital. A census sampling was performed in a hospital affiliated to the armed forces in Shiraz. Data were collected with Jeffersons' Empathy and Herzbergs' Motivation-Healthy Questionnaires. The validity and reliability of these questionnaires have been confirmed in previous studies between r =0.85 and r=0.89. After data gathering was done, they were analyzed using SPSS software version 22, descriptive and analytical tests and also Pearsons' correlation coefficient with a significant level )P =0.05). Results: The mean score of motivation was 86.40 out of a total score of 150. Also, the mean score of empathy was 65.01 out of a total score of 100. Most nurses were at a moderate level in regards to job motivation (63.7) and empathy (81.4).There was a significant positive but at the same time, weak correlation between motivation and empathy (P=0.049, r=0.198). There was no significant relationship between demographic variables and motivation and empathy (p <0.05). Conclusion: Regarding the moderate level of occupational motivation and empathy in nurses, executive managers can promote nurses' motivation to bring about demonstrating their empathetic behaviors and improve nursing care quality.