Purpose: The purpose of this research was to identify the mediating effect of moral distress in the effect of the work environment and professional identity of the Physician Assistant Nurse on the job satisfaction, and to provide fundamental data in building up program to enhance he work environment and establish professional identity for improving the job satisfaction of the Physician Assistant.
Methods: Participants were 112 Physician Assistant Nurse recruited from 3 General Hospitals in G Area. A questionnaire scale was used to collect the data. Data were analyzed frequency and descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation , regression analysis and Sobel's test using SPSS Statistics25.
Results: The practice environment of a Physician Assistant Nurse has a positive correlation with professional identity (r=0.584, p〈0.001), job satisfaction (r=0.652, p〈0.001), and a negative correlation with moral distress (r=-.320, p〈0.001). Professional identity was found to have a positive correlation with job satisfaction (r=0.607, p〈0.001), and job satisfaction had a negative correlation with moral distress (r=-.368, p〈0.001). In the relationship between work practice environment and professional identity with job satisfaction, moral distress had a partial mediating effect, showing explanation-ability by work environment (F=15.082, p〈.001) was 46%, professional identity (F=14.296, p〈. 001) was 44.6%.
Conclusion: As a result, moral distress was the mediating factor in the relationship between the practice environment and professional identity of the Physician Assistant Nurse with job satisfaction. In order to increase job satisfaction, We hope that this study`s findings will shed light on it is necessary to improve the practice environment, establish a professional identity, and develop an intervention program to lower moral distress.