Stress is clearly present in nursing work. This article presents an exploratory study carried out among emergency unit nurses from hospital institutions, and aimed at determining these professionals' stress level. The sample consisted of 73 emergency unit nurses who work for public and private institutions in the city of São Paulo. The data was collected through a structured questionnaire. The results indicated that emergency unit nurses present a medium stress level, and that participants considered E - Work Conditions to perform nursing activities, and F - Activities related to personnel administration, as the most stressful areas. For emergency unit nurses, in spite of the ready and effective action towards the instability of the patient's situation, conditions external to this situation are more stressful than the emergency. Hospitals need to analyze these requisites to allow for decreased stress among emergency nurses.
stress; emergency nursing; emergency service, hospital
