The emotional labor of public hospital nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative inquiry

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In a highly stressful profession and working condition, nurses are known to regulate their emotions to meet organizational and professional expectations. This process, referred to as emotional labor, has been found to lead to both positive and negative outcomes. However, there remains a dearth of qualitative studies examining the ways emotional labor is performed by nurses in the Philippines. This study aimed to explore how Filipino nurses in a public hospital engaged in emotional labor while caring for COVID-19 patients. METHODOLOGY: A qualitative case study design was employed. Data were collected through three stages of data gathering – focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and the diary method – with 10 nurses from a public hospital in Quezon. To extract themes and theme clusters from their narratives, Colaizzi’s method of data analysis was utilized. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The findings revealed the various emotion management strategies that nurses had to perform while fulfilling their roles as healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. In their emotional labor, they were found to employ the following strategies: (1) surface acting: hiding emotions behind personal protective equipment; (2) deep acting: putting oneself in others’ shoes; and (3) expression of genuine emotion: feeling and expressing happiness. This research further supports the call for stronger government intervention in protecting nurses’ rights and well-being by addressing the challenges they face, including the emotional demands of the profession. Methodological recommendations were also briefly discussed.