Emotional Labor of Nurses in Private Hospitals

Abstract

This study analyzes the nurses’ concept of emotional labor, their work experiences, and how they respond to situations in hospital work settings. Participants in this study were 12 
Filipino nurses working in both public and private hospitals in Metro Manila. This study extracted the data collected from six nurses employed in private hospitals using a purely indepth
qualitative research design. Focused interview results reveal that nurses described emotional labor as a wide range of emotions felt at work: resilience, compassion fatigue, happiness,  gratitude, and anger. They arrived at the concepts from their experiences, such as interacting with various stakeholders, performing tasks simultaneously, witnessing recovered or dying patients, cooperating in the unit, and receiving tokens of appreciation. Their coping mechanisms include using communication, denial, remaining silent, and anger towards the current system. Despite their emotional labor experiences, nurses remained positive. They could adapt to challenges in their personal lives because of the lessons they learned in their profession. They appreciated the knowledge they acquired every day and genuinely accepted their roles as healthcare providers. Hospital management could respond to nurses’ emotional labor experiences by taking into consideration how nurses envisioned their issues to be addressed—through open communication, granted requests for vacation leaves, opportunities for trainings/seminars, team buildings, and provision of a safe working environment.