Occupational Stress Among Newly-Graduated Nurses: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

The nursing profession is highly stressful and has been studied extensively. However, few empirical studies have investigated this issue in newly-graduated nurses working less than three months, especially in Taiwan. The purpose of this study was to explore perceived occupational stress in newly-graduated nurses and examined the relationships between stress and demographic and work related characteristics. This cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2004. The tool was a questionnaire. All newly-graduated nurses who worked less than three months in a hospital in central Taiwan were recruited. Seventy eight nurses were recruited, 75 agreed to participate with permission, and 62 completed the questionnaire. Findings indicated that the major source of occupational stress in newly-graduated nurses were workload, followed by interpersonal relationships, and ward management in turn. The top five stressors are : ＂dealing with patients’ emergency condition＂, ＂caring of patients with unknown or infectious disease＂, ＂listening, speaking, reading, and writing medical terminology＂, ＂not know medications and their effects＂, and ＂caring of dying patients and their families.＂ Working less than one month and working independently were significant predictors of occupational stress that account for 31.2% of the total variance. The findings can be used as a basis to develop a training program and an education program for newly-graduated nurses.