<p>Occupational stress negatively impacts nurses’ health, performance, and behavior. This study examines the effects of situational awareness and resilience on occupational stress among nurses. A descriptive-analytical study was conducted with 201 nurses from Ahvaz Medical and Educational Hospitals in 2019 using stratified random sampling. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Situational Awareness Questionnaire, and Job Stress Questionnaire were employed. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, t-tests, linear regression, and correlation tests in SPSS-25. The results indicated that the correlation between the variables of resilience and situational awareness and occupational stress was significant and indirect (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01). Particularly, higher resilience and situational awareness scores were associated with lower occupational stress levels (<i>r</i> = − 0.787 and <i>r</i> = − 0.544, respectively). Situational awareness and resilience also showed a direct relationship (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01). Specifically, as situational awareness increased, individuals’ resilience also improved, and vice versa (<i>r</i> = 0.200). In this study, treating resilience and situational awareness as variables that predict job stress in individuals, the regression model was significant (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01), with resilience and situational awareness collectively explaining 79% of the variance in occupational stress. Given these findings, enhancing resilience and situational awareness may effectively reduce occupational stress in nurses.</p>