This exploratory study investigated perceptions of palliative home care nurses regarding their roles. Results are based on structured interviews with all ten nurses providing care in a home care program for dying patients. Most nurses agree that nursing the terminally ill is a distinctive kind of nursing, requiring particular capabilities, and providing its own unique frustrations and satisfactions. While nurses experienced stress, especially the nurses who had spent a shorter period of time working for the program, they had a variety of ways to cope with stress. Suggestions for hospice program planning and future research are presented.