Introduction: Moral courage is a key characteristic of nurses, especially in emergency departments (EDs). Effective training can help to strengthen this trait.
Objective: This study aimed to compare the impact of two educational methods–peer teaching and storytelling–on the moral courage of emergency  department nurses in selected military hospitals in Kermanshah.
Materials and Methods: A randomized control trial with a pre-test–post-test design was conducted in 2023-04. Forty fine nurses working in the emergency department of three military hospitals in Kermanshah, Iran, were recruited by purposive sampling and randomly assigned to peer education (n=15), narrative training (n=15), and control (n=15) groups. Six educational sessions on moral principles were held for the peer education and narrative training groups. Data were collected through personal characteristics and moral courage questionnaires and analyzed at a significance level of less than 0.05.
Results: In the peer education group, the mean scores of moral courage before (58.60±7.47), immediately after (58.60±7.47), one month after  (42.13±16.39), and two months after the intervention (54.20±12.66) showed a significant difference (P=0.011). The mean scores of moral courage in the narrative training group before (66.40±2.23), immediately after (66.40±2.23), one month after (49.13±12.86), and two months after the intervention (65.67±5.11) had a statistically significant difference (P<0.001). The mean scores of moral courage in the control group, before (47.27±3.35), immediately after (47.27±3.35), one month after (49.33±16.95), and two months after the intervention (58.07±8.60) had not statistically significant difference (P=0.051). In addition, the average scores of moral courage between the three groups immediately after the intervention were significantly higher in the narrative training group than in the peer and control groups. (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Considering the positive impact of peer education and narration, these methods can be used in nursing education programs to teach ethical principles.