Abstract:
Background: Career plateauing is the situation in nurses' career when there is a very low possibility of any additional hierarchical promotion. This could affect their job satisfaction which has an impact on nurses' personal quality of life, and their ability to give quality nursing care. Aim: To investigate the relationship between career plateau and staff nurses' job satisfaction. Design: Descriptive correlational research design was used. Setting: It was conducted at Saied Galal Hospital affiliated to Al-Azhar University Hospitals. Sample: All staff nurses (N=280). Tools: Two tools were used: Career Plateau Questionnaire and Job Satisfaction Questionnaire. Results: less than three quarters of studied sample had satisfactory career plateau level. Furthermore, less than three quarters of studied staff nurses had low level of job satisfaction, while, only of them had high job satisfaction level. Conclusion: There was highly statistically significant inverse correlation between career plateau and job satisfaction. Recommendations: Pay attention to the early signs of plateauing and take preventative measures like up skilling, diversifying nurses' interests, and planning long-term career. Provide staff nurses with training and development programs about career plateau and job satisfaction to enhance their professional development. Further studies about the relationship between occupational stress and career plateau can be conducted.