Abstract: Objective To explore the mediating effect of burnout between emotional labor and intention to leave among ICU nurses. Methods A survey of 415 ICU nurses in six tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province was conducted using the General Information Questionnaire，the Nurses’ Emotional Labor Scale，the Nurses’ Burnout Scale，and the Intention to Leave Scale. Results The total emotional labor score of ICU nurses was （63.50±8.65）， which was at a medium level. The percentage of nurses with burnout was 90.29%. The mean score of intention to leave was （2.30±0.75），which was at a low level. Emotional labor and burnout both directly and positively predict intention to leave，and burnout partially mediated the relationship between emotional labor and intention to leave， with the mediating effect accounting for 31% of the total effect. Conclusion Managers need to adopt a variety of effective interventions to improve ICU nurses’ ability to perform emotional labor and alleviate burnout due to emotional labor，thereby reducing turnover intention.

Key words: Intensive Care Units, Nurses, Emotional Labor, Burnout, Turnover Intention, Nursing Administration Research