Objectives: To investigate the effect of stress involved in nursing on the physical and mental health of nurses and reduce their efficiency. Design: A cross-sectional descriptive survey. Method: The present study was conducted to investigate job stress among nurses (N=394) in three hospitals in China. Data were collected via a socio-demographic questionnaire and a nursing stress scale. Results: We found that the dimension "Nursing profession and work issues" was the strongest stress factor affecting the nurses, and that the item "shift work" yielded the highest stress score. Temporary contract nurses were found to have higher stress level than permanent contract nurses (p=.038). Nurses working in the intensive care unit had the highest stress level (1.32 +/- 0.948) of all the units examined. Conclusion: Nurses have a high risk of morbidity under the conditions of long working periods and a sustained fast-pace environment without stress management.