BACKGROUND: Nurse managers need to create cultures that are worthy, not only of the commitment of everyone who comes to work but also of the trust of everyone who comes to be served. The aim of our study was to describe the challenges faced by Swedish nurse managers in a perioperative setting.

METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted. The participants were chosen by convenience sampling, and individual in-depth interviews were conducted. Data were analysed by Systematic Text Condensation. The COREQ checklist was consulted throughout the study to optimise the quality.

RESULTS: Nineteen nurse managers (all women) participated. Six themes were identified: "striving to treat employees with consideration and solicitude"; "the obligation to take care of each employee's individual needs"; "convincing others was an uphill battle", "finding solutions when things seem impossible"; "staff recruitment, allocation, and management"; "working with constantly changing planning".

CONCLUSIONS: The nurse managers faced challenges because of the overwhelming amount of work tasks, with almost no time for reflection. Having carefully chosen tasks and a realistic time schedule for each work task, plus time to find one's own path to inner peace, are essential for nurse managers. Organisations that provide these prerequisites show that they care about their nurse managers. The results of this study indicate the need for time to reflect, as well as support from superior managers and from the human resources department.