Graduating prelicensure nursing students: Compassion satisfaction, burnout, or secondary traumatic stress?

Background: Professional quality of life is a factor that may influence the well-being of nursing students as they transition into professional practice. Nursing students, especially those nearing graduation, face significant academic and clinical demands that may contribute to burnout and/or secondary traumatic stress, while also fostering compassion satisfaction. Purpose: To examine professional quality of life among graduating prelicensure nursing students and to explore student-recommended interventions to support stress management. Methods: An exploratory descriptive study using a mixed-methods approach was conducted using a convenience sample of graduating students (N = 44) from a university located in the southeastern United States. Participants completed the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-Version 5). Subscale scores were calculated at the individual level and categorized into low, moderate, and high levels. Descriptive statistics, including means, standard deviations, and confidence intervals were computed. Internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. An open-ended question inquiring about recommendations for managing compassion fatigue or stress was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Participants demonstrated high levels of compassion satisfaction (M = 36.52, SD = 10.91). Burnout scores were predominantly moderate (M = 26.91, SD = 5.65), with 81.8% in the moderate range. Secondary traumatic stress scores were also primarily moderate (M = 25.61, SD = 7.95), with 54.5% categorized as moderate. Reliability was strong for compassion satisfaction (α = 0.97) and secondary traumatic stress (α = 0.87), and acceptable for burnout (α = 0.79). Qualitative analysis identified three themes: need for education, coping and support, and consideration of non-academic responsibilities. Conclusion: Graduating nursing students experience high compassion satisfaction alongside moderate burnout and secondary traumatic stress, highlighting the need for proactive, evidence-based strategies to support student well-being and transition into practice.