Emergent public health events, such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), have been the focus of attention of researchers at home and abroad. In China, nurses are an important group contributing to the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pneumonia epidemic.

Using semi-structured interviews, qualitative interviews were conducted with 23 nurses who supported the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic, and the data were collated and analyzed using Colaizzi analysis.

The work experience of Chinese nurses can be summarized into 4 major themes: they had different emotional experiences during aiding periods, aiding work had a double impact on the nurses, there were certain difficulties in aiding work, and there were significant age differences in aiding work experience.

It is necessary to strengthen the psychological construction of nurses. All hospitals must coordinate and manage various safety tasks, and ensure the precise, scientific, and streamlined deployment of rescue work. Humanized management, shift adjustment, performance allocation weight, and organizational care are also the top priorities of human resource management.