This study aimed to explore the experience of nurses who work in small-medium sized psychiatric hospitals.

This study used a qualitative descriptive design. Using content analysis, face to face interview data from 10 nurses working in two small-medium sized psychiatric hospitals were analyzed.

Data analysis has been extracted into five domains (i.e., stress, crisis response, resource, support, and communication) and 11 subcategories (i.e., anxiety and tension, exposure to violence, workload, endure by myself, working in pairs principle is not followed, the replacement of a nurse’s vacancy with an assistant, lack of resources in emergencies, lack of compensation, lack of education for empowerment, lack of post-traumatic support, and non-cooperation).

Current research regarding night shift at private mental hospitals is insufficient. Prioritizing more nursing staff is required to improve the working environment. Nurses experienced anxiety, tension, exposure to violence, and excessive workload during the night shift, and endured these crises alone. In addition, an increasing number of nursing staff urgently felt the need to work in pairs and demanded more auxiliary staff for emergencies. Nurses also wanted sufficient compensation, education for empowerment, and post-traumatic support. Ultimately, cooperation with other departments is essential.