Translation and Adaptation of a Clinical Judgment Model for Nursing Education and Research in a Francophone Context

Abstract

To pursue the development of the science and practice of nursing education, the dissemination of knowledge in French about learning to think like a nurse and how to facilitate this learning remains an important issue. This article presents the French translation, adaptation, and validation of Tanner's (2006) Model of Clinical Judgment in nursing. A four-step process of translation, back-translation, and validation was conducted according to the recommendations of Sousa and Rojjanasrirat (2011). The French version of the model was validated by 10 nursing education experts and by its original author. The model defines clinical judgment as an understanding, interpretation, or conclusion about a person's health needs, concerns, or problems. It describes four interrelated aspects of clinical judgment that can apply to rapidly changing care situations with ambiguous or ill-defined parameters: noticing, interpreting, responding, and reflecting. In addition to describing the clinical judgment of nurses with different levels of expertise, this model is an important tool to guide nursing education research and design educational experiences for nurses and nursing students. It is also a relevant tool for assessment and mentoring.