Background: Stroke is a significant health problem in developing countries including Egypt. Nursing performance during the golden hours of stroke patient care is critical. Aim of the study: to evaluate the effect of an educational program on nurses' performance regarding patients with cerebrovascular stroke in intensive care units at Zagazig University Hospitals. Subjects and methods: This quasi-experimental study with pre-post assessment was conducted at Zagazig University Hospitals on a sample of 80 nurses. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire for knowledge and an observation checklist for practice. The fieldwork was carried out though assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation phases. Results: Nurses’ age ranged from 23 to 54 years, with more females (68.8%), carrying a diploma in nursing (77.5%). Only 56.3% had satisfactory pre-intervention knowledge, which increased to 100.0% at post and follow-up phases (p<0.001). Also, and 46.3% adequate pre-intervention practice, which increased to 73.8% and 91.3% at the post and follow-up phases respectively (p<0.001). The study intervention was the main positive predictor of nurses’ knowledge and practice scores. Conclusion and recommendations: The implementation of a training program based on their identified needs is effective in improving nurses’ knowledge and practice. The study recommends implementing the developed program on a wide scale in the study settings and in similar ones. Further research is proposed to assess the impact of the educational training program for staff nurses caring of patients with CVS on quality of life of these patients.