Objective To explore the mediating effect of emotional labor between professional bereavement and compassion fatigue among hospice care nurses, and to provide evidence for developing interventions to alleviate nurses′ compassion fatigue. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using convenience sampling.From August to December 2025, a total of 574 hospice care nurses from 25 healthcare institutions across 13 provinces and municipalities in China were recruited.Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Professional Bereavement Scale, the Emotional Labor Scale, and the Compassion Fatigue Scale. Mediation analysis was performed to examine the mediating role of emotional labor. Results The participants′ total scores of professional bereavement, emotional labor, and compassion fatigue were 37.00(30.00,43.00), 46.00(42.00,52.00), and 56.00(49.00,61.00), respectively.Significant positive correlations were observed among professional bereavement, emotional labor, and compassion fatigue (all P＜0.05).Emotional labor played a mediating role between professional bereavement and compassion fatigue, accounting for 24.65% of the total effect. Conclusion The compassion fatigue among hospice care nurses is at a medium level.Emotional labor partially mediates the relationship between professional bereavement and compassion fatigue.Nursing managers should pay more attention to professional bereavement among hospice care nurses and implement targeted interventions focusing on emotional labor strategies to reduce compassion fatigue and promote nurses′ psychological well-being.