Work engagement was recently introduced as a positive concept contradictory to burnout. Nurses who are actively engaged in their work are considered to be full of vitality, feel confident in their duties, and are able to cope well with the demands of work. This study aimed to elucidate the present situation of work engagement in hospitals for community-based care (Hs-C-BC). The Japanese version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) was administered to nurses in 137 facilities in four prefectures in the Tokai region using. The valid response rate was 41.6% (N = 570). In an exploratory factor analysis, no items had factor loadings below 0.40 and all question items converged on the first factor. Regarding item-total correlation, all question items were correlated with each other. Ceiling and floor effects were not exhibited. Therefore, the UWES was judged to be usable in Hs-C-BC. The UWES revealed that family support, continuous learning, and duty position were important for nurses, in addition to support systems and human relationships in Hs-C-BC. Through continuous learning and being supported by their families and friends, nurses can be positively engaged in their work based on their duty positions.