Respice Finem: The Lived Experiences of Nurses Exposed to Palliative Care

This study explored the lived experiences of Filipino nurses exposed to palliative care within a healthcare context where structured services remain limited. Guided by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, in-depth interviews were conducted with seven nurses to examine the emotional, psychological, and existential dimensions of end-of-life caregiving. Analysis generated six superordinate themes: holding space between connection and self-preservation, navigating moral crossroads in end-of-life care, enduring the weight of an unforgiving system, breaking points and the quiet erosion of the self, quiet acts of survival and meaning-making, and searching for sanctuary in the workplace. These themes reveal how emotional labor, moral distress, systemic inadequacies, coping, and meaning-making shape palliative nursing. Filipino cultural values such as pakikiramay (empathy), hiya (sense of propriety), and utang na loob (debt of gratitude) also influenced emotional expression and responses to suffering. The findings underscore the need for structured psychological support, debriefing protocols, and resilience-building interventions responsive to the Filipino context, while deepening understanding of the emotional cost of end-of-life care.