PURPOSE: This study was to determine the impacts of traumatic events and resilience on the professional quality of life (ProQoL) among clinical nurses. METHODS: In this cross-sectional correlational descriptive study, 325 nurses completed questionnaires of traumatic events, resilience, and ProQoL consisted of compassion satisfaction (CS) and compassion fatigue (CF). Data were analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis and hierarchical regression. RESULTS: Traumatic events positively correlated with CF. Resilience positively correlated with CS and negatively correlated with CF. In this study, multivariate analysis showed that traumatic events and resilience explained 24% of the variance in CS and 7% of the variance in CF. CONCLUSION: A nursing education to enhance resilience and recognition of CS and CF from stressful work-related traumatic events may benefit to improve the professional quality of life for clinical nurses.