Introduction:

The nursing work in COVID-19 hospital units is complex, challenging, and full of elements whose understanding is important for the field of Management and Health at Work.

Objective:

to understand the daily life and challenges of nursing workers in the front line of confronting the pandemic in COVID-19 hospital units.

Materials and Methods:

qualitative study developed with 35 nursing workers in COVID-19 units from seven hospitals in southern Brazil, through semi-structured interviews. The NVivo software helped in the data treatment from the thematic content analysis.

Results:

two analytical categories emerged from data analysis: Challenges of nursing daily life in COVID-19 units: complexity and demands of assistance; and Challenges of being a frontline nursing worker: unfolding in professional well-being and personal life.

Discussion:

it can be considered that the complexity and intensification of frontline work caused impacts that can lead nursing workers to illness. Actions to promote professional visibility in society are important, to demystify the romanticized image about the profession, and to problematize the importance of nursing in facing the pandemic and the impacts suffered by these workers.

Conclusion:

nursing workers in COVID-19 units experience complex challenges, with repercussions on their work experience and their lives.

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