Abstract Background: Increasingly, nurses in Western countries express positive attitudes to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) but lack knowledge, access to education and organisational policy to guide practice. It is unclear whether nurses in developed Asian countries mirror or differ from this profile. Objectives: To determine the attitudes towards and use of CAM by registered nurses in Taiwan. Design: Cross sectional survey. Setting: A Nursing College in eastern Taiwan. Participants: Registered nurses (N 젱70) working in various clinical settings who were studying a post registration Bachelor of Nursing conversion course. Methods: Questionnaire distributed to nurses during class time. Results: Most nurses had positive attitudes to CAM and most used therapies, like massage, occasionally in practice. However, none had formal qualifications in CAM and most perceived that there were insufficient resources or organisational policy to facilitate practice. Conclusions: Taiwanese nurses need more formal education about CAM and require access to clear policies regarding the safe use of CAM in nursing practice.