Behind the Sirens

Introduction. Emergency medical service (EMS) professionalsoperate in high-pressure environments, makingjob satisfaction crucial for workforce retention, mental well-being, and overall service quality. Identifying keydeterminants of job satisfaction in EMS is essential foroptimizing workplace policies and reducing burnout.Aim. This study aims to examine the relationship betweendemographic characteristics, education levels,and work experience with various dimensions of jobsatisfaction among EMS professionals in the TeachingInstitute of Emergency Medicine of the City ofZagreb.Methods. A cross-sectional study was conductedamong 176 EMS employees at the Teaching Instituteof Emergency Medicine of the City of Zagreb betweenNovember and December 2023. Workplace satisfactionwas assessed using the Job Satisfaction Survey(JSS), covering nine dimensions: Pay Score, PromotionScore, Supervision, Fringe Benefits, ContingentRewards, Operating Conditions, Coworkers, Nature ofWork, and Communication. Data were analysed usingdescriptive and inferential statistical methods,including the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallistest, and Spearman’s correlation, with a significancethreshold of p < 0.05.Results. Overall job satisfaction was predominantlyambivalent (median total JSS 112); 14.2% were satisfiedand 2.3% dissatisfied. Men reported higher Natureof Work satisfaction than women (p = 0.001).Drivers reported the highest Nature of Work satisfaction(p < 0.001), and physicians reported higher Paysatisfaction than drivers (p = 0.032). Operating Conditionsdiffered by tenure (p = 0.008), but post-hoccomparisons were not significant.Conclusion. In this sample, overall job satisfactionwas not high but largely ambivalent. Priority areasfor improvement are Promotion, Fringe Benefits, ContingentRewards, and Pay, while Nature of Work andSupervision were comparatively higher.Behind the Sirens: Exploring JobSatisfaction in Zagreb’s EmergencyMedical ServicesCroat Nurs J. 2026; 10(1): 85-92 Original scientific paper86