Stress among nephrology nurses in Northern Ireland

This qualitative study was designed to explore the perception of stress of nephrology nurses within a major nephrology center in Northern Ireland. The information was collated from a sample of 10 nurses through semi- structured taped interviews. The findings indicate that stress was derived from the following categories: job content, resource issues, professional concerns, professional working relationships, and extrinsic factors. The coping mechanisms adopted by these nurses are also discussed. The actual dialogue of the nurses is included to provide depth and substance to the categories and themes, and a discussion is presented of the relationship of these findings to theory. These findings have relevant implications for nursing practice, nursing education, and nursing administration.