Background: Nurses caring for individuals affected by a traumatic event may experience secondary traumatic stress (Sts), which has negative downstream implications such as decreased mental well-being and job satisfaction. While Sts has been described among some nursing specialties, little is known about the experiences of Sts among pediatric perioperative nurses. Purpose: As guided by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, the primary objectives of this exploratory study were to: 1) describe the prevalence of STS in pediatric perioperative nurses who were exposed to trauma, 2) examine proposed antecedent correlates of Sts (trauma exposure, years of service, and coping), and 3) examine proposed outcome correlates (anxiety, depression, and job satisfaction) among pediatric perioperative nurses. Methods. In this descriptive correlational study, a pan Canadian internet survey was conducted with 33 pediatric perioperative nurses between January to March 2024. Participants completed six online questionnaires. Data analysis plan. Descriptive statistics of sample characteristics and study variables were conducted. Inferential statistics were employed to conduct correlational analyses to address this study’s research questions. Main results. The main finding was that 61percent of participants reported Sts levels of moderate or greater, and the mean number of trauma exposure was 9.06 weekly exposures. There was a significant correlation found between Sts and avoidant coping (r(31) = .467 (p = .006). Participants identified workplace relationships as one of the top indicators of job satisfaction. Other significant correlations were found between antecedent and outcome variables for nurse Sts. Conclusion. The high prevalence of weekly exposures to direct and indirect trauma and avoidant coping, and their linkage to pediatric perioperative nurse Sts levels have practice and research implications. Attention is called for better workplace supports and healthy work environments that thwart the harmful impact of Sts on nurse job satisfaction, anxiety, and depression when nurses face trauma in the workplace.