Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that motivate nurses. Data were collected from 373 nurses employed at 4 general hospitals located in Seoul, Korea. Nine research instruments were used in the formulation of a questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 18.0. The mean score of motivation was 3.49. The major influential background factors for motivation among the hospital nurses were growth needs (<TEX>${\beta}=0.31$</TEX>, p<0.001), auto-suggesting strategies (<TEX>${\beta}=0.20$</TEX>, p<0.001), optimism (<TEX>${\beta}=0.18$</TEX>, p<0.001), problem solving and cognitive restructuring strategies (<TEX>${\beta}=0.11$</TEX>, p=0.035), extroversion (<TEX>${\beta}=0.10$</TEX>, p=0.027), and support-seeking strategies (<TEX>${\beta}=0.09$</TEX>, p=0.036). These factors accounted for 40% of the motivation for nurses. Identifying the major factors would therefore serve as predictors to motivate nurses, and we further discuss how these findings might benefit an employer.