PURPOSE
To synthesize and identify the studies that delineated the relationship between empowerment and job satisfaction in clinical nurses in Korea.
METHODS
Electronic databases were searched, including KmBase, KoreaMed. riss4u, National Assembly Digital Library and National Discovery for Science Leaders (NDSL) The search terms included nurse, satisfaction and empowerment. Only papers published in Korean were included.
RESULTS
Twelve studies, from 156 references screened, were included the final analysis. All studies were non-experimental and used correlational analysis. A significant positive relationship between structural or psychological empowerment and job satisfaction was found. Older nurses with longer clinical experience and higher education background were more likely to have high level of structural and psychological empowerment and job satisfaction.
CONCLUSION
The study results indicate that to produce an empowering work environment, nurse managers have to create a supportive organizational culture, and provide access to resources and opportunity as well as to strengthen emotional support.

Citations

• The cultural difference between empowerment and job satisfaction among nurses: An umbrella review
  Shih-Yu Chang, Shu-Zhuan Wang, Huan-Fang Lee
  Applied Nursing Research.2025; 82: 151912.     CrossRef
• Relationship between a University Hospital Nurses’ Structural Empowerment and Quality of Nursing Work Life: Mediating Effect of Psychological Empowerment
  Eun Bee Baek, Sun Hyoung Bae
  Journal of Health Informatics and Statistics.2022; 47(2): 159.     CrossRef
• Structural empowerment and nurses’ patient identification behaviors: a cross-sectional study
  Young Mee Kim, Se Young Kim
  International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance.2019; 32(5): 832.     CrossRef
• Influence of Emotional Labor and Nursing Professional Values on Job Satisfaction in Small and Medium-sized Hospital Nurses*
  Yeong Ok Ryu, Eun Ko
  Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing.2015; 22(1): 7.     CrossRef
• The Impact of Social Support and Self-esteem on Nurses' Empowerment
  Myung-Ja Kim, Hyun-Young Kim
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration.2014; 20(5): 558.     CrossRef