Several professional and personal factors determine the degree of job satisfaction (JS) which is a necessary condition to ensure good quality work, especially for physicians working in university hospitals (UH).

To determine the degree of JS in a population of physicians working in UH and to determine the factors associated with the JS.

Cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study involving 96 physicians with different grades in Farhat Hached University Hospital, Sousse, Tunisia. We used Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS) to assess the degree of JS, Hospital Anxiety And Depression Scale to assess anxiety and depression, Maslach Burnout Inventory to determine burnout (BT).

The average age was 28.15 ± 4.10 years. Doctors with medical specialty were the majority (65.6%). Most doctors were dissatisfied with their work (67.7%). The socio-demographic factor associated with ST was the young age (P = 0.00). Occupational factors associated with JS were: shorter time worked in the department (P = 0.02), lack of outpatient day (P = 0.01), a lower number of outpatient day (P = 0.02), dissatisfaction with the work schedule (P = 0.004), lack of safety (P = 0.00), salary (P = 0.00), non-operating skills (P = 0.00), the distribution of tasks (P = 0.00), the conditions of the guards (P = 0.00), ignorance of the laws governing the department (P = 0.00), BT (P = 0.01) and depression (P = 0.00).

The majority of our subjects were dissatisfied with their work. Several factors, especially the professional ones contribute to this state. It is necessary to take steps on these factors to improve the performance of doctors working in university hospitals to provide better care for patients.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.