Abstract: Objective: To explore the relationships among work stress, career resilience, and career success in ICU nurses, and to examine the mediating role of career resilience in the relationship between work stress and career success in ICU nurses. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted from January to March 2022 in 201 ICU nurses from four tertiary grade A hospitals in Xi'an by the general information sheet, the Work Stress Scale, the Career Resilience Scale, and the Career Success Scale. The structural equation model was used to explore the mediating role of career resilience between work stress and career success. Results: The mean score was 119.84±19.17 for work stress, 70.43±18.32 for career resilience, and 89.67±21.51 for career success in ICU nurses; The work stress of ICU nurses was negatively correlated with the career resilience (r=-0.347, P<0.001) and career success (r=-0.156, P<0.001), while the career resilience was positively correlated with the career success (r= 0.356, P<0.001); Career resilience had a partial mediating effect between work stress and career success in ICU nurses, accounting for 42.86% of the total effect. Conclusion: Career resilience had a partial mediating effect between work stress and career success. Nurse managers and ICU nurses need to recognize the role of career resilience and promote nurses' career resilience, thereby reducing the negative impact of work stress and promoting the career success of nurses.

Key words: ICU nurses; work stress; career resilience; career success; mediating effect; structural equation model