The document announces an evening forum at the University of Technology Sydney featuring a presentation by Professor Gerard Naring from the University of Nijmegen on the topic of emotional labor in healthcare. Professor Naring's research focuses on how emotions are regulated at work. The presentation will discuss how healthcare professionals must sometimes dissociate in clinical practice but also show association demanded by patients, and how navigating these dual roles in complex environments makes emotion work important. A panel discussion will follow on challenges of negotiating emotions in clinical settings.

1. Emotion Work in Health Care
Thursday, April 16th, 2009
University of Technology Sydney
Level 5, Building 10, 10 Jones St
The Centre for Health Communication is pleased to present an evening forum with Professor Gerard
Naring, visiting at UTS from the Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Nijmegen. Professor
Naring’s research focuses on the regulation of emotions at work, emotional labour.
Complexity in the clinical environment produces experiences that necessitate consideration of the
emotional labour involved in practice. The challenge of negotiating between the dissociation sometimes
required in clinical practice, the association demanded by consumers and the simultaneous performance
of both roles in a complex environment makes emotion work paramount to practitioners.
The forum will feature a presentation by Professor Naring followed by a panel discussion and a
reception. Panel members include Dr Ross Kerridge of John Hunter Hospital, Jane Grey of NSW Health,
Professor Margaret Vickers of the School of Management, UWS and Associate Professor Jenny Fenwick
of the Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Health at UTS.
Please RSVP to Katherine.Britton@uts.edu.au by Tuesday April 14th.
1730: Professor Rick Iedema: Welcome and Introduction
1745: Professor Gerard Naring
Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands
‘Keeping up appearances or bursting out in tears:
Emotional labour and emotional demands in health care’
People working in service jobs often perform emotional labour; they adapt their emotions in order to meet
requirements of the job. This phenomenon is particularly present in the work of health care professionals. Originally,
two forms of emotional labour were distinguished, surface acting and deep acting, but other forms are now being
identified. The possible consequences of emotional labour will be discussed.
While the previous perspective catches which emotions we want to convey to a client or patient, some work confronts
us with situations that have an emotional impact upon us. These demands are especially high in health care, which
often encompasses confrontation with suffering, death and dying. A health care professional might have to witness
events that go beyond normal human experiences and might run the risk of being traumatized.
The talk will conclude with thoughts about how individuals and organizations deal with emotion work.
1800: Panel Response
1830: Discussion and questions
1845: Professor Rick Iedema: Conclusion
1900: Drinks & Canapes