Purpose: This study aimed to synthesize qualitative evidence on Korean nurses’ experiences of returning to work after parental leave and balancing work and childcare, and to identify the integrated meaning structure underlying these experiences. It also examined how personal, relational, occupational, and organizational conditions influenced nurses’ adaptation to the simultaneous demands of professional practice and parenting. Methods: A qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted using Noblit and Hare’s meta-ethnographic approach. Relevant studies were searched in four Korean databases: RISS, DBpia, KISS, and ScienceON. Eight qualitative studies addressing Korean nurses’ return to work after parental leave, childcare, parenting conflicts, and work–family balance met the eligibility criteria. The methodological quality of the included studies was appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist. Following the seven phases of meta-ethnography, the researchers repeatedly read the studies, extracted key concepts and metaphors, compared findings across studies, translated the concepts into one another, and developed higher-order interpretations. The relationships among the synthesized themes were then examined to construct an integrated explanatory structure. Results: The overarching synthesis was identified as “negotiating work and childcare while navigating the dual roles of nurse and mother to sustain a nursing career.” Four interrelated themes were derived. The first, “regaining one’s place during the dual transition of returning to work and parenting,” reflected anxiety about readjustment, reduced confidence, and efforts to restore competence and belonging in the workplace. The second, “enduring a sense of parenting deficiency caused by the mismatch between shift work and childcare time,” described guilt, physical exhaustion, disrupted family routines, and conflict between unpredictable clinical schedules and children’s needs. The third, “building a foundation for endurance through family, colleagues, and organizational support,” showed that assistance from spouses, parents, coworkers, and managers provided practical and emotional resources that enabled nurses to remain employed. The fourth, “reconstructing the meaning of career continuity through professional identity and the need for organizational support,” illustrated how nurses understood continued employment as a source of professional identity, economic stability, self-worth, and career development. Across the studies, nurses continuously negotiated priorities, redistributed caregiving responsibilities, and sought recognition for both their professional and maternal identities. Insufficient support intensified emotional distress, work–family conflict, and intentions to leave nursing. Conclusion: Korean nurses’ return to work after parental leave and their efforts to balance work and childcare should not be framed primarily as matters of individual coping or family responsibility. These experiences represent organizational and workforce issues associated with nurse retention, professional sustainability, patient safety, and nursing quality. Healthcare organizations should establish phased return-to-work programs, flexible and predictable scheduling, equitable workload adjustment, accessible childcare support, and manager education to reduce stigma toward parenting nurses. A workplace culture that recognizes childcare as a shared organizational and social responsibility is essential for sustaining nurses’ careers and enabling them to fulfill both caregiving and professional roles.

서 론
    1. 연구의 필요성
    2. 연구목적
연 구 방 법
    1. 연구설계
    2. 문헌검색 및 자료추출
    3. 자료추출
    4. 포함문헌의 질 평가
    5. 자료합성
    6. 윤리적 고려
연 구 결 과
    1. 복직과 양육의 이중 전환 속에서 제자리를 다시 찾아감
    2. 교대근무와 돌봄 시간의 불일치 속에서 양육 결핍감을견딤
    3. 가족과 주변 지지에 의존하며 버틸 기반을 만들어 감
    4. 전문직 정체성과 조직지원 요구 속에서 경력 지속의의미를 재구성함
논 의
결 론 및 제 언
REFERENCES

• 허연정(한림성심대학교 간호학부 ‧ 간호학연구소 조교수) | Heo Yeon Jeong (Assistant Professor, College of Nursing ․ Research Institute of Nursing Science, Hallym Sacred Heart University, Chuncheon, Korea)
• 김승주(한림성심대학교 간호학부 ‧ 간호학연구소 부교수) | Kim Seung Ju (Associate Professor, College of Nursing ․ Research Institute of Nursing Science, Hallym Sacred Heart University, Chuncheon, Korea) Corresponding author
• 최형준(강원대학교 간호학과 대학원생) | Choi Hyung Jun (Graduate Student, Department of Nursing, Graduate School, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea) Corresponding author
• 이광숙(동방문화대학원대학교미래교육원 책임교수) | Lee Kwang Suk (Institute for Future Education, Dongbang Graduate University, Seoul, Korea)