Background Currently, building resilience in nurses is recognized as an important factor that helps maintain their health and stay in their profession; thus, identifying which factors can help them build resilience is necessary. Methods A cross-sectional survey design was used, and 1356 nurses from 11 general hospitals in Guangzhou, China, were assessed using the Chinese version of the Conner–Davidson Resilience Scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, and the Job Stress Scale of Chinese nurses. The demographic characteristics of participants were also gathered. Results The mean total score of nurses' resilience is 59.99 (SD 13.59), which was significantly lower ( P < 0.001) than that of the general people in China. The regression analysis affirmed that the factors which influence the resilience of nurses include self-efficacy, coping style, job stress, and education level ( R 2 = 49.4%, P < 0.001). Conclusion Nurses had low resilience. They could not effectively cope with job challenges and recover from adversity. Strengthening self-efficacy, choosing active coping, decreasing job stress, and enhancing educational training can effectively improve their resilience.