Purpose: This study aimed to explore in-depth the lived experiences of infection control nurses by applying Max van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenological methodology and to foster a comprehensive and profound understanding of their lives through the interpretation of the meanings embedded within those experiences. Methods: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. As part of the existential investigation, hermeneutic reflection was conducted using diverse phenomenological materials, including vlogs, novels, music, works of art, and photographs provided by participants. Data were collected through in-depth interviews conducted between January and August 2025. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data analysis followed van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenological method. The holistic, selective, and detailed approaches to reading the texts were repeatedly employed until the essential meanings of the participants' narratives emerged, from which meaning units, themes, and the essential structure of the phenomenon were derived. Results: The study included 12 participants. Their mean clinical experience was nine years, and their mean experience in infection control was five years. Ultimately, 19 themes and six essential themes were identified. The essential themes were as follows: 'An embodied vigilance at the threshold of invisible infection,' 'A self-sacrificing body devoted to the safety of others,' 'A being in constant reconfiguration along the trajectories of infection,' 'A being that follows the unseen pathways of infection,' 'A time of growth through internalizing the mission of infection prevention,' and 'A relational being negotiating the responsibility for infection prevention between collaboration and tension.' The participants were highly sensitive to signs of infection throughout the hospital and proactively identified and responded to infection risks while maintaining constant vigilance. Although this way of living involves ongoing physical and psychological exhaustion, they continue to work out of responsibility for the safety of patients and healthcare workers. Participants continuously reorganized their physical spaces and work processes to prevent infection transmission, perceiving infection as a flow connecting the entire hospital and tracing its pathways and hidden linkages. Through reflection and accumulated experience, they internalized the mission of infection prevention and developed as professionals. Although they experienced conflict and burden in their relationships with others, they formed professional identities through ongoing negotiations, coordination, and collaboration. Conclusion: Infection control nurses continuously sensed and coordinated the entire hospital environment amid invisible infection risks, exhausting their bodies and lives to protect the safety of others. These findings suggest the need to make the invisible labor of infection control nurses visible, grounded in protection and ethical responsibility toward patients, and to reconceptualize their role as essential agents sustaining infection safety across healthcare organizations.

서 론
    1. 연구의 필요성
    2. 연구목적
연 구 방 법
    1. 연구설계
    2. 연구자의 준비
    3. 연구참여자
    4. 자료수집
    5. 윤리적 고려
    6. 자료분석
    7. 연구의 질 확보
연 구 결 과
    1. 보이지 않는 감염의 경계에서 깨어 있는 몸
    2. 타인의 안전을 위해 자신을 소진하는 몸
    3. 감염의 흐름에 따라 병원을 끊임없이 재조직하는 존재
    4. 보이지 않는 감염의 흐름을 추적하는 존재
    5. 감염예방의 사명을 내면화하며 성장하는 시간
    6. 협력과 긴장 사이에서 감염예방의 책임을 감당하는관계적 존재
논 의
결 론 및 제 언
REFERENCES

• 김희수(삼육서울병원 감염관리실 팀장) | Kim Heesoo (Manager, Department of Infection Control, Sahmyook Medical Center, Seoul, Korea)
• 신성례(삼육대학교 간호대학 교수) | Shin Sung Rae (Professor, College of Nursing, Sahmyook University, Seoul, Korea) Corresponding author