Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics and degree of work stress and to investigate the related factors such as personality in clinical nurse specialists (CNSs).

Significance:

Work stress is important to healthcare professionals and has an impact on their well-being, work effectiveness, and job turnover. Several studies had been conducted to evaluate work stress in nursing staffs. However, until recently, no studies have investigated the work stress among CNSs.

Design/Background/Rationale:

Cross-sectional study using anonymous, self-administered questionnaires for data collection.

Methods/Description:

Sixty-six CNSs in a 1,100-bed general teaching hospital participated in this study. Each participant was requested to answer a questionnaire. The Expanded Nursing Stress Scale, which has 9 subscales and 57 items, was used to measure work stress. The NEO Five-Factor Inventory was used to measure personality characteristics.

Findings/Outcomes:

All 66 CNSs are females. Their mean age was 30.5 +/- 4.4 years. Most of them were single (52%) and had received nursing college education (72%). The most frequently reported categories of work stress were conflicts with physicians, workload, and uncertainty concerning treatment. CNSs who had high scores in the neuroticism dimension of personality had high levels of work stress, and those who had high scores on extroversion and openness had low levels of work stress. Other demographic-related factors were also identified.

Conclusions:

The results of this study show us the detailed characteristics and degree of work stress among CNSs.