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Background & Aim: Moral courage is a virtue that helps people overcome their fears and limitations and make the right decision and take the right action when encountering any situations. Due to the nature of their profession, nurses daily face many moral issues, and their correct decisions and performances require moral courage. The aim of this study was to determine the moral courage of nurses employed in hospitals affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.

Methods & Materials: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015. The research population was composed of nurses employed in hospitals affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. The study samples were 155 people. The moral courage questionnaire of Sekerka and colleagues (2009) was used to collect the data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, independent t-test and one-way ANOVA on the SPSS software v.22.

Results: The mean score of moral courage of nurses was 63.72±5.91 (15-75). The highest and lowest mean scores were for the dimensions of moral agency (13.73±1.22) and endures threats (11.40±1.80) respectively. The work experiences of nurses had a significant positive relationship with moral courage and beyond compliance (P<0.05).

Conclusion: In this study, moral courage of nurses was at a desirable level. According to the findings, while taking steps to strengthen this virtue, we could strengthen nurses’ moral reasoning to make right decisions and perform ethical practices. In addition, strengthening nurses’ moral courage and reasoning can help them play their role as the patient advocate.

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Background & Aim: Clinical decision-making is an essential part of the nursing profession. The nursing profession is based on ethical principles. Due to their commitment to patients, morally courageous nurses ignore occupational risks threatening their own lives.  The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between moral courage of nurses and their participation in clinical decision-making.
Methods & Materials: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019. The study population was nurses working in the CCU and ICU of Shahid Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center. The sample size was 195 people. The data was collected using the Sekerka’s Moral Courage Scale, and the Participation in Decision Activities Questionnaire (PDAQ). Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient through the SPSS software version 19.
Results: The mean scores of moral courage and PDAQ in nurses were 90.38 ± 11.48 and 117.24±39.42, respectively. A positive correlation was found between moral courage and participation in clinical decision-makings (r=0.397, P<0.001).
Conclusion: The results showed that moral courage has pride of place in the nursing profession that can encourage nurses to actively participate in clinical decision making. Therefore, professional ethics courses are suggested to be organized to improve decision-making and clinical ethical performance of nursing students and nurses.
 

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Background & Aim: Achieving autonomy remains a significant challenge within the nursing profession. Nurses must possess moral courage to attain professional autonomy, which should consequently enhance their job self‑efficacy. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between professional autonomy, moral courage, and job self‑efficacy among nursing managers.
Methods & Materials: This descriptive‑correlational study was conducted on 200 nursing managers, including senior nursing managers in organizational positions, middle managers serving as supervisors, and operational managers working as head nurses across eleven teaching hospitals affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2024. Data were collected using a demographic and professional characteristics form, Jung's Professional Autonomy Questionnaire, Sadoughi‑Asl's Nurses' Moral Courage Questionnaire, and Riggs' Self‑Efficacy Scale. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 21 and LISREL version 8, employing Pearson's correlation coefficients and path analysis.
Results: The mean scores were as follows: professional autonomy was 26.92±6.6 (moderate level), moral courage was 422.11±39.52 (high level), and job self‑efficacy was 114.98±11.38 (high level). Professional autonomy demonstrated a direct and significant positive correlation with moral courage (r=0.187, P=0.008), and moral courage showed a significant positive correlation with job self‑efficacy (r=0.41, P<0.001). The structural model analysis revealed that all path coefficients were significant (P<0.001), except for the path from professional autonomy to job self‑efficacy (P=0.635).
Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that enhancing professional autonomy can improve the moral courage and job self‑efficacy of nursing managers. This important finding can serve as a foundation for designing effective programs and interventions in this field.