RESUMO
This study was conducted to find the different sources of occupational stress and the level of job satisfaction among nurses working at a tertiary care hospital. Cross sectional study. The study was conducted at Rawalpindi General Hospital from March 2005 to June 2005. The sample comprised of 50 female staff nurses working in different departments in Rawalpindi General Hospital. The sampling technique was stratified random sampling to include nurses working in various departments of hospital. Occupational stress and job satisfaction was assessed by Pressure Management Indicator in terms of Job Satisfaction, Organization, Mental well-being, Physical well-being, a 120 item self-report measure, encompassing many areas of stress evident in the workplace. Majority of the sample [74%] was working on full time whereas 26% were working on contract basis. The mean working hours in a week were 51.16 hrs + 8.98 hrs. On the scale of mental well being, which is comprised of various subscales, the mean score for resilience was 18.78 + 4.32 and for confidence level it was 10.40 + 4.19. These scores were more than the standard score which were 17.66 and 10.37 respectively. Majority of participants [70%] felt secure in their organization. Similarly 74% of participants scored more than the standard on sub scale of job satisfaction [Mean = 24.5 + 3.68]. On the scale for sources of pressure, the mean score on workload was 19.28 + 5.77, on personal responsibility the mean score was 14.04 + 2.99 and on the home/work balance the score was 19.92 + 4.36. The mean scores of participants on all these items were more than the standard scores. It appears that the nurses at a tertiary care hospital have a high index of occupational stress and majority of it generates from the administrative disorganization of the firm and less from the personal or the monitory factors