Introduction: Emotional labor is a multidimensional construct which refers to the desirable emotions in an organizational environment that influence the interactions with the users, and that could have a negative impact on workers. This construct has only been developed in the last few decades, therefore its influence on nurses has been studied in an incipient way. Aim: To reflect on the impact of emotional labor on care delivery for responding to the question: How is emotional labor manifested in nursing professionals? Methodology: A bibliographical research was carried out on different data bases to develop the reflection and divide it into three sections. Findings: Emotional labor is present in nursing performance and, if professionals are not qualified or prepared to tackle this psychosocial risk, they may suffer from alterations in their health, such as saturation or exhaustion. To add, this may indirectly impact users and therefore affect the quality of the delivered care. Hence, it is an important topic for an optimal professional development either for the labor satisfaction or the suitable functioning of health organizations. Conclusions: emotional labor is a complex construct, especially for health workers, and it may become a negative aspect for workers, users receiving care, and healthcare institutions, more precisely, in their accreditation processes
