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Abstract
Professionals are driven by deeply held professional moral values in carrying out their work. However, in crises, these very values are violated, which places unprecedented strain on professionals. How do professionals respond when their moral values are violated? To address this question, I study how the Covid-19 pandemic challenged nurses’ professional moral values, and how they addressed these challenges. My analysis is based on 51 unsolicited personal diaries of nurses working in Covid wards across the U.S., as well as 118 interviews, documents, and observational data. My findings reveal that nurses experienced moral injury when working during the pandemic violated their deeply-held professional moral values, resulting in feelings of shame and guilt. They responded by following three distinct paths—adopting, avoiding, or adhering to their professional moral values—characterized by different approaches to emotional regulation. These approaches affect both professional work and organizational retention. The study reframes moral injury as an organizational phenomenon shaping both the ability to conduct professional work as well as long-term retention; illuminates how moral values in crisis situations are adapted, avoided and adhered to; and reveals how emotional regulation is not just driven by social norms but also by deeply held moral values.
