OBJECTIVEWe set out to determine levels of job‐related stress, burnout, and job satisfaction in dialysis nurses and their association with nurses' perceptions regarding relations with co‐workers, and co‐worker opinions on the nursing profession. The subjects compared in this study were employed in the dialysis units, intensive care units (ICUs) and the most preferred (cardiology, general surgery and orthopedics wards) of three different hospitals.METHODSThis descriptive and cross‐sectional study was conducted in April 2003, and included 180 nurses: 31 working in dialysis units, 100 in ICUs, and 49 in the most preferred wards of the same hospitals. The study candidates were assessed with the use of a questionnaire regarding their socio‐demographic characteristics, work places, and views concerning their relations with and the opinions of their professional contacts. Other means of data collection were the Work‐Related Strain Inventory (WRSI), the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Minnesota Work Satisfaction Questionnaire (MWSQ). Percentage estimations, the chi‐square test, and variance analysis were used for statistical evaluation of the data; p > 0.05 was accepted as significant.RESULTWhen compared with ICU and ward unit nurses, dialysis nurses had evidence of decreased job stress and burnout as well as increased job satisfaction, accompanied by decreased intention to leave the profession and higher levels of positive views concerning their relationships with physician co‐workers and the opinions of their professional contacts toward the nursing profession.CONCLUSIONThis study confirmed some established predictors of job satisfaction, work‐related stress, and burnout and provided data on an unexplored area. Dialysis nurses appear to be at a decreased risk for job stress, burnout and premature retirement from nursing, with higher levels of job satisfaction. Further. the quality of relationships with physician co‐workers and the opinions of professional contacts regarding the nursing profession as perceived by nurses may be related to job stress, burnout and work satisfaction.