Korean Clinical Nurses’ Emotional Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the emotions experienced by Korean clinical nurses during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to understand their essential meaning in depth.Methods: A qualitative study was performed using individual in-depth interviews and data were collected from 12 nurses in clinical practice from June 2020 to December 2020. Data were analyzed using the Colaizzi’s phenomenological method.Results: The following three categories were derived: ‘shock of the unprecedented new infectious disease’, ‘hardships caused by the never-ending struggle’, and ‘hope in the midst of hardship’.Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it was confirmed that there is a need to prepare an appropriate compensation system and emotional support strategies for nurses in the traumatic event of a pandemic. In addition, it is necessary to develop a recovery from trauma and emotional management program to reduce the negative emotional experiences and strengthen the positive emotional experiences.