Job stress among nurses: the implications for the healthcare profession

Abstract

This study reports the results of a survey of 672 New Zealand nurses. The data showed that (1) the nurses experienced a moderate frequency of perceived job stress, (2) those who worked full-time, particularly in public hospitals, were the most susceptible to job stress, (3) a heavy workload was the most significant contributor to job stress, (4) the nurses aged 20 to 30 years experienced the highest frequency of perceived job stress and those over 60, the least and (5) no significant differences in the frequency of perceived job stress were found according to the specific type work performed. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for healthcare policy makers and administrators and the nursing profession. These include attending to the issue of heavy workload, mitigating job stress for public hospital nurses and providing support for young and early career nurses.