Background: Hope plays a vital role in helping families navigate the challenges of pediatric cancer, fostering emotional resilience and treatment adherence, while cultural factors and healthcare professionals’ strategies help keep it alive. This study explores the lived experiences of physicians and nurses in keeping hope for dying children and their families within pediatric oncology settings.Methods: A qualitative research design was employed, with semi‐structured interviews. Participants were selected through purposive sampling. The study was conducted with 23 healthcare professionals (12 physicians and 11 nurses) working in pediatric hematology‐oncology units, ensuring at least 2 years of professional experience in Turkey. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify key themes.Results: Three main themes were identified: (i) The Importance of Hope—coping mechanism and continuing treatment; (ii) Challenges in Keeping Hope—balancing hope and realism, emotional responses and exhaustion, impact of relapse, and professional responsibility; (iii) Strategies for Keeping Hope—individualized communication, providing positive examples, hiding real feelings and thoughts. The findings highlight healthcare professionals' cultural and emotional complexities and underscore the delicate balance between fostering hope and addressing clinical realities.Conclusion: Keeping hope is a pivotal aspect of pediatric oncology care, enhancing emotional resilience and treatment adherence. Healthcare professionals must navigate significant challenges while employing culturally sensitive strategies to keep hope for patients and families. These findings underscore the need for training and support systems to promote effective communication, emotional resilience, and quality care in pediatric oncology settings.

Background/Objectives: Empathy is a fundamental component of pediatric oncology nursing. This study aims to examine in depth how nurses working in pediatric oncology define empathy, experience it in clinical practice, and manage emotional and professional boundaries in the empathetic care process. Methods: A qualitative research design was used. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 17 nurses with at least 2 years of experience in pediatric hematology-oncology units. The interviews were conducted via Zoom. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis, and data collection continued until thematic saturation was achieved. Results: Three main themes were identified: Understanding Empathy, The Journey of Empathy, and The Cost of Empathy. Nurses defined empathy as an indispensable part of high-quality pediatric oncology care; however, they reported conceptual uncertainty in distinguishing empathy from sympathy and indecision regarding appropriate emotional boundaries. Empathy was perceived as a dynamic process shaped more by clinical experience than formal education. Early professional experiences were often characterized by emotional distress, while increasing experience enabled nurses to regulate their emotions and adopt more sustainable empathic practices. Despite this adaptation, prolonged exposure to children’s suffering and death was associated with compassion fatigue and emotional exhaustion. The absence of structured empathy training and formal emotional support systems further intensified these challenges. Conclusions: In pediatric oncology nursing, empathy is a complex, evolving professional competency that demands continuous emotional regulation and boundary management. Structured empathy training, reflective supervision, and strengthening institutional support mechanisms are essential to promote sustainable empathic care while protecting nurses’ emotional well-being.

Background: Empathy is essential for supportive nursing work environments, yet little is known about Generation Z (Gen Z) nurses’ experiences of empathy from colleagues and nurse managers. Aim: To examine Gen Z nurses’ experiences of empathy in workplace relationships with colleagues and nurse managers and the individual, generational, and institutional factors shaping these experiences. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study design was employed. Data were collected between October 2025 and March 2026 through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 20 Gen Z nurses working in diverse clinical settings in Turkey. Participants were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling. Interviews were conducted via Zoom, audio-recorded with consent, and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis framework. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist guided the study reporting. Results: Four main themes were identified: (1) perceptions of empathy among Gen Z nurses, (2) empathy experiences in workplace relationships, (3) factors influencing empathy experiences, and (4) expectations for building an empathic work environment. Empathy was experienced through feeling understood, non-judgmental listening, and emotional and practical support, particularly in peer relationships. Hierarchical communication, perceived intergenerational differences, workload, and time pressure were key factors influencing workplace empathy experiences. Conclusions: Participants described empathy as a relational and context-dependent experience embedded in everyday workplace interactions. Their accounts suggest that supportive, non-hierarchical relationships may facilitate empathic engagement, whereas rigid communication styles and heavy workloads may act as barriers. These findings represent the experiences and interpretations of the Gen Z nurses interviewed and should not be read as objective comparisons between generations. Organizational strategies that support empathic communication and psychologically safe teamwork may help strengthen team cohesion and nurse retention.