IntroductionConcern about quality care can never be divorced from concern about the caregiver. It is well recognized that nurses caring for the terminally ill are in situations which place them at risk for experiencing high stress. Moreover, we believe that an awareness of the satisfactions experienced by such nurses is important. This study contributes to the understanding of specffic satisfying and stressful work-related experiences that can indirectly enhance or diminish the quality of hospice nursing care.The decade of the 1980s is affirming hospice care as a viable option in the health care system. The role of the nurse on the interdisciplinary hospice team is an important one. Because this is still a relatively new work setting for nurses, much needs to be learned about these caregivers. What do some professional nurses report as their most satisfying and their most stressful experiences in the work setting? Are there any relationships between these reports of satisfying and stressful experiences and other factors? What insights can be gained which would help to sustain professional and personal integrity of nurses in the highly intense hospice context? Could the maximizing ofwork-related satisfactions be a more effective approach to stress reduction than merely minimizing stresses? Might practicalguidelines regarding recruitment, retention, and staff development in hospice programs be suggested by answers to these questions?

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