RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Nurse interns' capacity for innovative behavior is a key component of healthcare settings because of increasing demands and complexities. Thus, it is important to find strategies that promote their innovative behavior. The development of psychological capital (PsyCap) improves positive behaviors and attitudes, such as engagement, motivation, and satisfaction, in the work environment. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of a PsyCap educational program on nurse interns' innovative behavior. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design was used in this study. This study was executed at Fayoum University hospitals. The study participants comprised all the available nurse interns (n = 223) registered in the internship year (2022-2023) in the aforementioned settings. The data were gathered using three instruments, namely, the PsyCap Knowledge Questionnaire, the PsyCap Questionnaire, and the Innovative Behavior Inventory. RESULTS: The nurse interns' mean scores regarding total knowledge about PsyCap, total perception of PsyCap, and total perception of innovative behavior significantly improved through the posttest phase (41.27 ± 9.31, 92.22 ± 6.26, 91.31 ± 9.06, respectively) and the follow-up phase (37.83 ± 8.83, 89.96 ± 6.31, 88.89 ± 8.33) in comparison with the pretest phase (14.39 ± 5.83, 69.04 ± 8.13, 60.55 ± 7.15). CONCLUSION: The PsyCap educational program was effective and beneficial for improving the nurse interns' perceptions of innovative behavior. Therefore, PsyCap interventions should be implemented in hospitals through professional development programs and orientation programs.