Evidence supports the existence of moral distress in the specialty areas of pediatric, oncology, and intensive care nursing. A gap in the literature was found relating to moral distress in the specialty area of level one trauma nursing. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive phenomenological study is to explore the lived experiences of moral distress within the high technology environment in level one trauma nursing. One research question guided this research study: What are the lived experiences of moral distress as described by a level one trauma nurse in a highly technical practice environment? The population for this study was nurses practicing in level one trauma certified in basic, pediatric, and advanced cardiac life support and trauma nursing. A purposive sample of 11 nurses who met the inclusion criteria were interviewed. Data collection using semi-structured interviews were conducted using open ended questioning using SKYPE™ and FaceTime™ technology. Colaizzi’s seven step data analysis technique was conducted resulting in the identification of seven themes: (1) Lack of support from leadership, (2) Abuse and violence, (3) Trauma that never leaves you, (4) Prolonged heroics at end of life, (5) Prevented from doing my job, (6) Having the hard conversations, (7) Coping with moral distress. Findings will be disseminated and suggestions for leadership, research and academia provided.