This study attempted to address the problem of stress and burnout in hospital nurses by exploring factors which affect job satisfaction and the relationship between these and absence rates. Fifty nurses working in the elderly care unit of a district general hospital were asked to complete a job satisfaction questionnaire, specifically developed to include factors appropriate to the study, together with Maslach's burnout inventory and Beck's hopelessness scale. The hypothesis that job satisfaction is related to absenteeism was not supported. However, significant correlations between some variables were isolated. These correlations were tested using Spearmans risk correlation co-efficient. It is hoped that the job satisfaction questionnaire will become a useful instrument in screening those at risk of burnout, and a diagnostic aid to help consider the factors which affect job satisfaction. The implications of the study point to the need for the prevention of stress from environmental factors by the adoption of organizational strategies to promote positive working conditions, and the development of coping strategies in the form of stress awareness seminars, regular staff support groups and counselling services.