Nurses are affected both mentally and physically at work,
and they are particularly vulnerable to job burnout. Nurse
burnout can be further differentiated based on clinical duties
or specialty [4,5]. Health care staff working in an oncology
clinic, especially oncology nurses, are under high risk of job
burnout [6], but currently there are few studies available
regarding job burnout in these nurses.
There are a number of studies detailing factors related to
job burnout. These factors can be categorized into professional
traits, social organization traits, and personal traits
[7e9]. Although job burnout among nurses is welldocumented,
few studies have investigated the relationship
between professional belief (such as professional value) and
job burnout. Altun et al. showed that professional value, the
principle that guides decisions and action in a career, is an
important factors influencing job burnout [10]. Professional
values are a collection of beliefs and attitudes that consist of
recognition, feelings, and actions. It is a reflection of ones'
profession value. At the core of effective nurse' disposition are
a positive professional attitude and professional values.
Cancer nurses are more likely than other nurses to be confronted
with stressors at work [11e13]. Sources of stress
include complications of advanced cancer patients, gaps between
technology advances and nursing skills, and frequency
of death. Taken together, these factors make oncology nurses
susceptible to job burnout.
Here, we investigated the level of job burnout and professional
value in oncology nurses and explored the correlation
between job burnout and professional values.