Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to consider the emotional labour of nursing. The chapter explores the context of caring in nursing and the resulting need for nurses to engage in emotional labour. There is an overview of the origins of the term, emotional labour, before consideration of emotional labour in the context of nursing. The sources of emotional labour in nursing are covered alongside the impact of engaging in emotional labour on individual nurses, the service users they deliver care to, as well as the organisation and wider social impact. Strategies designed to support nurses and to respond to the emotional challenges of nursing are also explored.