PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationships and the levels of emotional Intelligence, ego-resilience and nursing performance and to investigate the mediating effects of ego-resilience in the relationship emotional Intelligence with nursing performance among clinical nurses.METHODS: The study design was a cross-sectional survey. The study participants were a total of 142 clinical nurses who were registered in three general hospitals. The data were analyzed by frequency, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis using SPSS 21.0 software and Sobel's test was conducted to evaluate availability of the mediating effects of ego-resilience.RESULTS: The study results had shown that there were significant co-relationships of the emotional Intelligence, ego-resilience and nursing performance and the mediating effects of ego-resilience in the relationship emotional Intelligence with nursing performance.CONCLUSION: Emotional intelligence in enhancing nursing performance, was an element to enhance hospital performance by managing self-emotion in relationships of patients and clinical staffs. In addition, ego-resilience as a mediating variable in the relationship emotional Intelligence with nursing performance, should be considered to develop each nursing department programs and strategy for improving nursing performance through enhancing emotional intelligence.