Background: Through time, people have been taking care of their loved ones whilst ill or encountering death. As the medical and caring sciences has developed, so has palliative care. During palliative care, nurses are in charge of the patients' emotional, physical and spiritual needs as well as taking care of their relatives. To have that responsibility can be stressful.

Aim: To illuminate the nurse experiences of palliative care.

Method: A literature-based study with qualitative approach. Literature searches were made through Cinahl in which similarities and differences were identified to create new subthemes and themes.

Results: The nurses experience difficulties in handling their own feelings about patient death and dying. Further on, they find difficulties in creating good relationships and communicating with patients and their loved ones. Inter professional conflicts between nurses and physicians occur and cause stress, angst and the feeling of helplessness amongst nurses. The nurses identify lack of knowledge as a factor for obstructing quality in palliative care.

Conclusion: As complex as the palliative care is, there is a great need for thorough education in nursing programs as well as further education at workplaces. For the nurses to be able to handle their feelings, to create relations with the patient, their relatives and colleagues and to be able to provide good palliative care, strategies are needed.