Introduction. Stress at work of nurses is very powerful. High demands may lead to the chronic stress syndrome. Results of the research on the mental ballast at nurses’ work show that nurses are highly susceptible to stress, which negatively affects their work. Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate the situation of stress occurring in nurses/male nurses working in pediatric wards. Material and methods. The study was conducted on a group of 100 nursing staff working in Górnośląskie Centrum Zdrowia Dziecka in Katowice. For the purpose of attaining the objective method a diagnostic survey was used. Results. Among the respondents the most stressful factor was rush. Then there were: the surplus duties, parents’ aggression, continuous supervision, awareness of uncertain tomorrow, weak work organization. The least stressful factors turned out to be underestimation and atmosphere at work. Conclusions. High levels of stress accompanied nurses at work. Nurses /male nurses of pediatric wards deal with stress in a positive and negative way. The statistical analysis demonstrated that there was a relationship between education and dealing with stress. People with higher education dealt with stress much better. There was no statistical relationship between education, work experience, age and evaluating encountered situations as stressful.

Key words: stress, nurses, difficult situations.