The complexity and variety of ethical issues in long-term care settings are concerning because of their impact on nursing practice. The purpose of this study was to describe moral distress in nurses working in long-term care settings using Hamric’s (2012) framework. The data were obtained from one-on-one interviews with nine registered nurses and three focus-group interviews each comprising six to eight registered nurses. Hamric’s (2012) framework of moral distress and Colaizzi’s (1978) procedural steps were used for data analysis. Three themes emerged in the one-on-one and focus-group interviews, as follows: perceived loss of legitimate power, external factors were associated with contextual institutional constraints and witnessing poor judgment in the care of residents. Future research includes exploring the specific causes of moral distress and strategies to address moral distress, not only among nurses, but also among the managers, administrators, and other healthcare providers working in long-term care settings