Publication Date
Fall 11-18-2025
College
College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
Department
Communication Studies, Department of
Student Level
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Amy Schmisseur
Presentation Type
Talk/Oral
Summary
Through conducting interviews with healthcare professionals and the study of data that reviews the role of emotional communication in the healthcare industry, I can conclude that there are several challenges that healthcare professionals experience when communicating emotions. To begin, there is the existence of implicit and explicit feeling and display rules that are demanded by both clients, patients, and organizations. There are expectations and obligations that healthcare professionals must meet in terms of the emotions they experience and the behaviors they express to ensure the functionality of their industry. In response to these feeling and display rules, employees often find themselves “surface acting” and exercising emotional labor to meet the demands. Employees must suppress and reject their authentic emotions to feel and maintain emotional expression that meet the appropriate standards that are both expected of them socially and professionally. Due to the consistent surface acting, employees often suffer the consequences of rejecting their authentic emotions, such as feelings of job stress and burnout. To cope from exercising emotional labor at work, employees oftentimes find themselves relying on the support of other coworkers from within the organization as a coping mechanism. These connections allow employees a space away from their work to connect and relate with other employees, sharing experiences and supporting one another. In response to the data gathered and the conclusions that can be made, I have discussed several ways that establishments over the entirety of the healthcare system to ensure the emotional prosperity of their employees, such as the implementation of leadership strategies that promote employee well-being.
Recommended Citation
Dolan, Brandon, "Emotional Communication in the Healthcare Industry" (2025). SPARK Symposium Presentations. 826.
https://repository.belmont.edu/spark_presentations/826
