Background <p>Decent work perception significantly influences an individual’s professional decisions and choices. This survey aimed to evaluate the current status and influencing factors of decent work perception among pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) nurses, to provide insights for clinical nurse management and care.</p> Methods <p>The PICU nurses in a university hospital at Nanjing, China were surveyed during May 1st to May 31st, 2024. Nurse Decent Work Perception Scale with good validity and reliability was used to survey the level of decent work perception among PICU nurses. The SPSS 23.0 software package was used for data analysis.</p> Results <p>A total of 176 PICU nurses were included. The decent work perception score of included PICU nurses was 51.46 ± 8.22, indicating that the PICU nurses have a relatively low perception of decent work. Age(<i>r</i> = 0.506), professional title(<i>r</i> = 0.464) and average monthly income(<i>r</i> = 0.539) were positively correlated with the decent work perception score of PICU nurses, educational level(<i>r</i>=-0.526) and have been personally assaulted(<i>r</i>=-0.512) were negatively correlated with the decent work perception score of PICU nurses (all <i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that age, educational level, professional title, average monthly income and have been personally assaulted were the independently influencing factors of the decent work perception score of PICU nurses (all <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05).</p> Conclusions <p>The decent work perception among PICU nurses is relatively low, highlighting the need to prioritize the improvement of their salary, educational levels, and career development opportunities. Besides, hospitals should provide organizational support to ensure a secure working environment.</p>