Objective To explore the relationships among fear of missing out, problematic smartphone use, and flow at work of nurses, and to provide reference for targeted interventions. Methods A total of 231 nurses working in department of internal medicine were invited to complete the Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMOs), the Smartphone Addiction Scale-short version (SAS-SV) and the Work-related Flow Inventory (WOLF). Results The mean scores of FoMOs, SAS-SV and WOLF were 2.86±0.71, 2.96±0.66, and 2.81±0.67 respectively. The score of FoMOs was positively correlated with SAS-SV, but negatively correlated with WOLF (P＜0.01 for both). The score of SAS-SV was negatively correlated with WOLF (P＜0.01). Regression analysis showed that fear of missing out was a significant predictor of problematic smartphone use, and problematic smartphone use was a predictor of flow at work (P＜0.01 for both). Conclusion Fear of missing out positively affects problematic smartphone use, and problematic smartphone use negatively influences flow at work in nurses. Therefore, alleviating nurses′ fear of missing out is an important way to decrease their problematic smartphone use and increase their flow at work.