PURPOSE: The Purpose of this study is to understand the meaning and the essence of suffering as viewpoint and to find the meaning and structure of the experience from encounters with patients in their terminal stages of illness. METHOD: A descriptive design based on the phenomenological approach model developed by Collaizzi was used. The period of data collection was from August to November of 2000. Data collection was conducted by open-ended and audio-taped interviews. The participants were nine female nurses who were willing to take part in this study. RESULTS: Results of this study were classified into five main categories. The main category clusters were "difficulty in experiencing suffering," "professional challenges to expert nurses," "formation of empathic relationships," "expanding consciousness through suffering," and "alleviation of the patient's suffering." CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the implications for providing nursing care to end-stage patients in the throes of suffering is both rewarding and stressful. However, sharing these research results may help other nurses discover and experience deeper meanings in their own practice and careers.