Introduction. Nurses profession requires the involvement of own resources and continuous interaction with people in need of care, help and support. The physical and mental burden of people in this professional group may have a negative impact on their health. In this situation, resources that are significant for optimal adaptation to difficult working conditions become of particular importance. Aim. The aim of the study was to evaluate the sense of dispositional optimism and self-efficacy in a group of Malopolska nurses using post-graduate education. Material and methods. The study group consisted of 211 nurses and 5 male nurses during specialization training. The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and Life Orientation Test (LOT-R) were used in this study. Additionally, during the research, the original questionnaire was used, which presented motivating factors to undertake postgraduate education by nurses. Results. The largest group among the nurses were people with a neutral orientation in the field of optimism (39.8%) and a high rate of self-efficacy (60.6%). The correlations between nurses’ personal resources and their age and seniority were not shown. The tendency to optimism significantly influenced the desire to raise their prestige and gain professional promotion. Conclusions. Nurses participating in post-graduate education strive to provide patients with an appropriate standard of care, but also to strengthen self-confidence. A high level of theoretical and practical knowledge can be treated as one of the personal resources essential in the prevention of occupational stress.

Key words: self-efficacy, optimism, motivation, nurses.