Physiotherapists' job satisfaction according to employment situation: Findings from an online survey in Austria.
Markus Latzke, Peter Putz, Stefan Tino Kulnik and 3 others
PMID 33829607WHAT IT FOUND
Self-employed physiotherapists reported higher job satisfaction than employed colleagues, driven by greater autonomy and recognition.
Employed therapists valued recognition most and were more likely to leave if they felt undervalued. Combined employment roles struggled most with work-life balance.
Key findings
01Self-employed physiotherapists reported higher overall job satisfaction, autonomy, and recognition of skills than employed or combined-status therapists.
02For employed physiotherapists, recognition of skills and experience was the strongest predictor of job satisfaction and the main factor influencing their intention to leave their employer.
03Physiotherapists who were both employed and self-employed reported the lowest satisfaction with work-life balance and the largest gap between its importance and realisation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was self-selected, which may overrepresent therapists who are already more engaged or satisfied with their jobs. The distribution of employment types in the sample (59% self-employed) did not match national statistics (39% self-employed), potentially skewing comparisons. The survey represents only 4% of registered physiotherapists in Austria, limiting generalizability to other countries or healthcare systems. Cross-sectional design means associations were identified, but causality cannot be proven (e.g., whether autonomy causes satisfaction or satisfied people choose self-employment).
Declared interests
No specific funding sources or conflicts of interest were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume self-employment inherently causes higher job satisfaction. The study is cross-sectional and uses a self-selected sample, so it is possible that therapists who value autonomy and recognition most are the ones who choose to become self-employed, rather than self-employment creating those feelings.