Nursing the nurses: why staff need support.

A research project exploring job satisfaction levels among nursing and therapy staff working with stroke patients has unearthed wider issues regarding the support of nurses. Most participants were happy in their jobs and with their training opportunities. Nurses, in particular, felt very proud of their vocation. But they also reported more stress and had higher absenteeism rates than their colleagues. The authors analyse and discuss their findings and argue that nurses should not be subjected to fundamental occupational stresses without improved support systems.