BACKGROUND: Although many studies have discussed nurses' caring performance, few have focussed on critical care nurses. Also, none have studied this among newly graduated nurses despite their very different circumstances. AIM: The purpose of this study was to examine factors affecting the caring performance of newly graduated nurses in critical care units. METHOD: A descriptive cross-sectional design, using self-reported questionnaires, was used among a sample of 209 nurses interviewed in Jordanian hospitals. The Mental Health Professionals Stress Scale was used for measuring work-related stress and the Caring Behaviours Assessment tool to assess caring performance. Data collection was conducted from March to May 2018. RESULTS: The participants had moderate levels of caring performance (M = 182.6/315, SD = 15.46). The highest score was reported for 'Supportive/Protective/Corrective Environment' subscale, while the lowest for 'Teaching/Learning' subscale. Many significant differences were noticed in caring performance based on participants' demographics. Only working in private hospitals was a significant predictor for caring performance (P < .05) predicting 14% of variance. CONCLUSION: Caring performance of newly graduated nurses in critical care units was affected by many factors including workload, self-doubt, income and area of working. The significance was flagged of developing nursing policies concerned with stress relief and improvement of caring performance.