ABSTRACT
Emergency nurses are one of the groups at risk most during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the authors of this qualitative study was to reveal the psychosocial difficulties and needs of nurses working in the emergency department of a university hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. This descriptive phenomenological study was conducted in the emergency department of a university hospital in the West of Turkey. In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 emergency nurses. Colaizzi's descriptive analysis method was used. Findings regarding the psychological difficulties and needs of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic were collected under the following 4 themes: being a nurse in the emergency department in the pandemic, emotional chaos, living with losses, and the support needs. Not only did the emergency nurses state that working as a nurse in the pandemic was challenging and exhausting but they also emphasized the vital importance of nursing care in the pandemic. During the pandemic, the nurses went through different emotional processes according to the stages of the pandemic. Although they needed psychological support, they were expected to meet organizational requirements.