Objective To investigate the work experience of the first-line nurses fighting against major public health emergency corona virus disease 2019 outbreak in infectious disease hospital of Fuyang city, and provide the strategic support for other major infectious disease outbreak in the future.

Methods Fifteen nurses working on the first-line during disease outbreak from January 20 to February 4, 2020 were selected by objective sampling method from different levels of nurses, interviewed using semi-structured way, and the interview data were extracted and analyzed using Colaizzi seven-stage analysis method.

Results Three levels of themes were summarized.One is the positive and negative psychological experience of first-line nursing staffs, which included the professional pride, social responsibility, personal sense of belonging, and the anxiety and fear, a sense of powerlessness in the face of patient pain.The second was the negative physiological experience of the first-line nursing staffs, namely the extreme body fatigue feeling.The third was the life concerns of the first-line staffs, which included the worry of being discriminated affecting their life after work, and living arrangements of family.

Conclusions It is necessary to pay attention to the negative psychological experience of first-line nursing staffs under major epidemic conditions, strengthen the positive psychological experience, reasonably arrange rest and life, and provide personalized guidance and support for the troubled nurses.