Emotional intelligence and nursing education: A review

The body of research on emotional intelligence (EI) in the nursing field has increased within the last 10 years. Human relationships and emotions play a crucial role in enhancing the quality of nursing care. It is essential to produce plans for helpful strategies to train nurses with high EI and achieve academic success. Undergraduate nursing students can develop emotional intelligence, enabling them to regulate their thoughts and emotions. The purpose of this narrative review is to investigate the current state of knowledge about emotional intelligence (EI) in nursing education. This research reviewed studies published in English between 2000 and 2025, sourced from a mix of search engines and databases, including PubMed, ResearchGate, Springer, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. Eighty articles are included in this narrative review. The findings were categorized into five themes: EI and academic achievements, EI and cognitive/clinical competences, EI and coping mechanisms, EI and professionalism, and EI and broader mental and behavioral outcomes. This literature review highlights the numerous advantages of emotional intelligence (EI) for nursing students. Various training programs designed to enhance EI have shown positive outcomes within nursing education. By synthesizing these findings, we can gain a clearer understanding of the value EI brings to nursing training.