Nurses play a central role in the pain management of patients. Interestingly, nurses also have a high incidence of pain themselves, particularly pain due to work-related injuries or pain conditions that are exacerbated by the physical demands of nursing. Personal experiences with pain may influence nurses' attitudes about pain and attitudes about professional empathy that can impact nurses' pain management practice. However, little is known about the relationship between nurses' personal pain history and clinically relevant attitudes. The purpose of this study was to examine these relationships in a sample of registered nurses. Measures included 1) a pain history checklist; 2) a pain attitudes questionnaire assessing the extent to which nurses see themselves as similar to the “typical” patient in the areas of pain reactivity, pain endurance, willingness to report pain, and pain coping; and 3) the Jefferson Scale of Clinician Empathy. Twenty-five nurses (mean age 38.3 years; 87% Caucasian) completed the study. The most prevalent current pain conditions were low back pain (38%) and arthritis (21%). Analyses indicated that, on average, nurses rated themselves significantly better at dealing with pain than the average patient (i.e., they reported less pain reactivity, more pain endurance, less willing to report pain, and better pain coping). Also, nurses who reported more past and current pain conditions rated their own pain endurance as more similar to the “typical” patient. Neither pain history nor nurses' pain attitudes were related to empathy scores. Nurses play a central role in the pain management of patients. Interestingly, nurses also have a high incidence of pain themselves, particularly pain due to work-related injuries or pain conditions that are exacerbated by the physical demands of nursing. Personal experiences with pain may influence nurses' attitudes about pain and attitudes about professional empathy that can impact nurses' pain management practice. However, little is known about the relationship between nurses' personal pain history and clinically relevant attitudes. The purpose of this study was to examine these relationships in a sample of registered nurses. Measures included 1) a pain history checklist; 2) a pain attitudes questionnaire assessing the extent to which nurses see themselves as similar to the “typical” patient in the areas of pain reactivity, pain endurance, willingness to report pain, and pain coping; and 3) the Jefferson Scale of Clinician Empathy. Twenty-five nurses (mean age 38.3 years; 87% Caucasian) completed the study. The most prevalent current pain conditions were low back pain (38%) and arthritis (21%). Analyses indicated that, on average, nurses rated themselves significantly better at dealing with pain than the average patient (i.e., they reported less pain reactivity, more pain endurance, less willing to report pain, and better pain coping). Also, nurses who reported more past and current pain conditions rated their own pain endurance as more similar to the “typical” patient. Neither pain history nor nurses' pain attitudes were related to empathy scores.