ABSTRACT Objectives: to identify vulnerabilities of nurses who work in an intensive care unit. Methods: an integrative review was held from 2006 to 2019, with searches on the platforms/databases LILACS, BDENF, SciELO, MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, and Web of Science. The theoretical framework of ergology, by Schwartz, was used and the guiding question “What are the main vulnerabilities of nurses who work in an intensive care unit”? Results: eleven articles were included. Five topics of vulnerabilities emerged: physical, emotional, communication process, care process, and organizational. We observed that the organizational vulnerability was kept as a common and intersection factor in developing the other four. Conclusions: vulnerabilities found have a relationship to the physical, emotional, communication, care process, and institution organization elements. The organization aspect intersected with the others, configuring itself as the core in this context.