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Abstract Aims This article reports on a study investigating the self‐assessed clinical competence of new nurses working in emergency departments. Design A quantitative approach using descriptive cross‐sectional survey design was employed. Methods The clinical competency of the participants was assessed using the Competency Inventory for Registered Nurse questionnaire, which contains the seven dimensions of clinical care, leadership, interpersonal relations, legal/ethical, professional development, teaching/coaching and critical thinking/research aptitude. Data from 115 new nurses employed in emergency departments of nine selected university hospitals in the northwest of Iran were collected by the Competency Inventory for Registered Nurse (CIRN) from December 2018–May 2019 and analysed. Results The mean clinical competency for the total scale was 155.7 (SD 32.9), indicating a moderate competency. The most highly self‐rated competency was legal/ethical practice, and the least rated was critical thinking–research aptitude.