Young nurses' perceptions about their employment, working and health conditions

Objective: to interpret the perceptions that young nursing professionals have of the relationship between working conditions, employment and health. Method: a qualitative study with an interpretive approach to the work experiences of 15 young nurses, who participated in the research through voluntary snowball sampling. Data analysis was carried out from the interviews and focus group to achieve an approximation to the realities of working life. Results: the relevant findings of the study indicated that job insecurity is characteristic of this population group, mainly related to the type of contract and remuneration received. Psychosocial working conditions were those that generated the most effects on mental and physical health according to the participants, which worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: This study provides, from the perspective of young nurses, an overview of how the macro and microstructural characteristics of work and its relationship with health are perceived, pointing out the key elements for generating interventions with a life course approach that promote the postulates of decent and healthy work in their work environments, as well as actions to prevent injuries or damage to the health of nurses.