Objective To understand the current status of regulatory focus and innovative behavior among clinical nurses, and to analyze their relationship, so as to provide a reference for administrators developing management strategies. Methods From June to August 2023, a total of 945 clinical nurses from 2 Grade A hospitals in Xi′an were investigated by using a general information questionnaire, the Nurses′ Regulatory Focus Scale and the Nurses′ Innovative Behavior Scale. Results The participants′ score of promoting focus was 22.92±4.26，defensive focus was 25.50±4.32, and the total score of innovative behavior was 34.33±5.24. Promoting focus was positively correlated with innovative behavior, while defensive focus was negatively correlated with innovative behavior (both P＜0.05). Promoting focus, defensive focus and educational background were the main influencing factors of nurses′ innovative behavior (all P＜0.05), and promoting focus and defensive focus could explain 15.0% of its total variance. Conclusion Clinical nurses′ regulatory focus is at a medium and above level, which can predict their innovative behavior. Administrators can take regulatory focus as intervention target, appropriately guide nurses to adjust the tendency of regulatory focus, stimulate the generation of promoting focus, so as to further promote the innovative behavior of nurses.