https://submissions.jot.fm/ https://caucasushealth.ug.edu.ge/ https://njmr.in/ https://journal.pubalaic.org/ https://ojs.acad-pub.com/index.php/NH <p><i>Nursing Horizons</i> (NH) is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal focused on advancing nursing and healthcare. The journal focuses on the intersection of clinical practice, innovative healthcare systems, and cutting-edge nursing research to improve health outcomes and the quality of care. By publishing original articles, reviews, and case studies, <i>Nursing Horizons</i> provides an important platform for the dissemination of evidence-based practices and fosters global collaboration among healthcare professionals.</p> Academic Publishing Pte. Ltd. en-US Nursing Horizons https://ojs.acad-pub.com/index.php/NH/article/view/3154 <p>This cross-sectional study investigated interrelationships between moral reasoning, ethical sensitivity, and empathy among 200 Iranian nursing students using Rest’s Four Component Model. Participants demonstrated high moral sensitivity (88.9 ± 9.9) and moderate empathy (97.4 ± 10.7), but suboptimal moral reasoning (43.1 ± 4.6) despite progression across academic years. A significant positive correlation linked moral sensitivity and empathy (<i>r</i> = 0.329, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), while moral reasoning showed no significant relationship with either sensitivity (<i>r</i> = −0.100) or empathy (<i>r</i> = −0.041). Notably, empathy declined with academic advancement (<i>ρ</i> = −0.32, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05), and dormitory residents scored higher in practical (rule-based) decision-making (<i>p</i> = 0.006). Findings reveal a critical disconnect: although students recognize ethical dilemmas (sensitivity) and demonstrate emotional engagement (empathy), they lack systematic frameworks for moral reasoning. This underscores curricular deficiencies in ethics education, necessitating integration of simulated dilemmas, empathy-centered reflection, and expert mentorship. Urgent reforms should bridge cognitive-affective gaps to prepare nurses for complex ethical challenges in clinical practice.</p> Maede Ghadermazi Efat Sadeghian Farshid Shamsaei Leili Tapak Shabnam Rasoulpoor Shamsodin Rahmani Copyright (c) 2025 Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 2025-06-13 2025-06-13 1 1 3154 3154 10.59400/nh3154