Purpose: This study was to explore the empowerment experienced by hospital nurses. Methods: Focus group was used to gather data and open coding method suggested by Strauss and Corbin was used to analyze the data. Thirty-four nurses who have clinical experience of more than three years at three university hospitals were participated in this study. Results: Five categories were identified: Getting chances of opportunities to show personal capabilities and motivations, acknowledgement, support, recognition and delightfulness. The major sources of empowerment were the acknowledgement of patients and family, colleagues, supervisors. doctors, and other personnels in hospital. Conclusion: Focus groups could be an useful tool for empowerment research in nursing. Further research will be needed to clarify the relationship among individual, group and organization.