Objective To investigate career success and its determinants among hospice nurses and to provide reference for targeted intervention. Methods A total of 230 hospice nurses in Qingdao were asked to fill out a demographics questionnaire, the Chinese version of Career Success Scale, Decent Work Scale and Job-Esteem Scale for Nurses in Hospital. Results The scores of career success, decent work and job-esteem were 32.91±7.39, 48.79±7.85, and 91.14±13.07, respectively, showing significantly positive correlations among them (r=0.184-0.989, all P<0.05). Univariate analysis showed that the following were influencing factors for career success: hospital type, age, professional title and monthly income (all P<0.05). Conclusion Hospice nurses report moderate level of career success. Nursing managers should expand channels for promotion of professional titles, increase income, and respect nurse′s work, thus to improve their career success and stabilize nursing team.