Is the work-related stress level of nursing staff high compared to other professions? We compare nursing staff on the one hand and administrative and supporting staff in health care on the other. We do so for eight countries: six EU member states (the United Kingdom, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands), Brazil, and South Africa.
At many occasions, at congresses and in the international trade union movement, the assumed high work-related stress level of nursing staff is a major issue. Is the article Work-related stress in health occupations this assumption has been tested, by comparing the answers on the survey question 'How often do you find your job stressful?' for nursing staff on the one hand and administrative and supporting staff in health care on the other. Is has been done so for eight countries: six EU member states (Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom), Brazil, and South Africa. Except for Finland, the score of the nursing staff is higher than the average score on work-related stress for all health care workers.
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Van Klaveren, M., Tijdens, K. (2010). Work-related stress in health occupations. Amsterdam: WageIndicator.org / Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS). (EN). (143 kB)