The emotional tabour of nursing - Defining and managing emotions in nursing work

Emotions in health organisations tend to remain tacit and in need of clarification. Often, emotions are made invisible in nursing and reduced to part and parcel of 'women's work' in the domestic sphere. Smith (1992) applied the notion of emotional tabour to the study of student nursing, concluding that further research was required. This means investigating what is often seen as a tacit and uncodified skit[. A follow-up qualitative study was conducted over a period of twelve months to re-examine the role of the emotional tabour of nursing. Data were collected primarily from 16 in-depth and semi-structured interviews with nurses. Key themes elicited at interviews touch upon diverse topics in the emotional tabour of nursing. In particular, this article will address nurse definitions of emotional tabour; the routine aspects of emotional tabour in nursing; traditional and modern images of nursing; and gender and professional barriers that involve emotional tabour in health work. This is important in improving nurse training and best practice; investigating clinical settings of nurses' emotional tabour; looking at changing techniques of patient consultation; and beginning to explore the potential therapeutic value of emotional Labour. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.