Your Nursing Judgment Is Better Than You Think (Science Proves It)
My client told me something that stopped me mid-coffee sip.
“I always double-check my instincts. Even when I know something’s wrong with a patient… I still ask someone else just to be sure. I don’t want to overstep.”
This is a nurse with over 15 years of experience. She’s handled codes, mentored new grads, and has that sixth sense we all admire—the one that notices subtle shifts, asks the right questions, and spots trouble before it escalates.
And yet… she still second-guesses herself.
Not because she lacks training.
Not because she’s ever made a serious error.
But because somewhere along the line, she absorbed the idea that other people’s opinions matter more than her own judgment.
Sound familiar?
The Invisible Doubt That Follows You
This isn’t just Leah’s story. I’ve heard versions of it over and over again—especially from Filipino immigrant nurses, women of color, and those who weren’t taught to speak up confidently in hierarchical workplaces.
You know what I’m talking about:
You catch a subtle change in a patient, but hesitate to bring it up to the attending.
You offer a recommendation, and when it’s brushed off, you wonder if you were wrong.
You feel something isn’t right… but you keep it to yourself.
Not because you don’t trust your training—but because somewhere, someone taught you to defer. To stay in the background. To be “nice.” To let someone else take the lead.
But here’s the thing:
Your nursing judgment is better than you think. And science backs you up.
What the Research Says (You’re Gonna Want to Hear This)
Studies show that experienced nurses develop what's called clinical intuition—the ability to make fast, accurate decisions based on pattern recognition, subtle cues, and accumulated knowledge.
This isn’t some fluffy, woo-woo idea. It’s neuroscience.
Your brain, after years of assessments, alarms, charting, and human interaction, has built thousands of micro-patterns it pulls from instinctively—before your conscious mind even catches up.
This is why you can walk into a room and feel something’s off before you have data to prove it.
It’s why you can glance at a patient’s color or posture and know they’re about to crash.
You’re not just reacting. You’re synthesizing complex information faster than you can explain.
That’s expertise. That’s skill. That’s science.
So Why Don’t We Trust Ourselves?
Because we’ve been taught not to.
From nursing school to hospital floors, we’ve absorbed messages—sometimes subtle, sometimes loud—that doctors know best, leadership has the final word, and nurses are “just” support.
Add cultural conditioning that praises humility and discourages speaking up, and suddenly it makes sense why so many brilliant nurses keep their insights to themselves.
But I’m here to say:
Trust your gut. Speak your truth. You’ve earned it.
Your Voice Could Save a Life (and Probably Already Has)
You don’t need someone else’s approval to validate your knowing.
You don’t need to wait for a disaster to finally say, “I knew something was wrong.”
You don’t need to stay small to keep the peace.
Your voice matters.
Your instincts matter.
And when you speak up—even when your voice shakes—you shift the culture around you.
The Takeaway
Let’s stop mistaking humility for silence.
Let’s stop treating nursing judgment like it’s “less than” medical opinion.
Let’s stop second-guessing what your years of lived experience already know.
If you’ve been waiting for permission to own your brilliance—here it is:
You’re wiser than you give yourself credit for.
And the science agrees.
So next time your gut tells you something’s off?
Don’t ask if you’re overreacting.
Ask: What if I’m exactly right?
Because chances are—you are.
And your patient?
They’ll be safer because you spoke up.
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