Health, 2022, 14, 23-37 https://www.scirp.org/journal/health ISSN Online: 1949-5005 ISSN Print: 1949-4998 DOI: 10.4236/health.2022.141002 Jan. 7, 2022 23 Health Clinical Judgment Development: Six Steps to Establish Professional Identity and Role-Specific Competencies in Caring for a Sexual Assault Survivor Rose Eva Constantino 1* , Larissa C. Allen 2 , Vivian Hui 2 , Kelly M. Nitowski 2 , Brayden Kameg 2 , Amy S. Bowser 2 , Rebecca Burkart 2 , Betty Braxter 2 1 Department of Health and Community Systems, School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA 2 School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Abstract Background: Clinical judgment is a specific role that establishes a profes- sional identity. The purpose of this paper is to prepare nursing students to make better judgments in the clinical setting and realign learning and teach- ing. Methods: We used six steps to arrive at a competent clinical judgment suggested by the National Council State Board of Nursing (NSCBN) as a clini- cal judgment model 1) recognizing cues, 2) analyzing cues, 3) prioritizing hy- potheses, 4) generating solutions, 5) taking an action, and 6) evaluating out- comes during the head-to-toe examination of the patient. Results: The pri- mary outcomes are stabilization of the hemodynamics of the patient and pre- vention of further blood loss. Fluids are being given to help keep the vascular volume from being depleted, but they cannot solve the underlying problem. Continued assessment, intervention, and monitoring of vital signs through the course of the hospital stay ending with the patient’s discharge. Discus- sion: Survivors of sexual assault are unique for a nurse to provide care. The nurse needs to assess, intervene, monitor, and pay attention to detail of the 6 steps to clinical judgment, resulting in positive outcomes for their patient. Conclusions: Forensic nursing is a field of nursing that focuses on sexual as- sault survivor care and works to make the aftermath of their tragic situation easier to cope with. Strengthening clinical judgment skills could remedy sig- nificant mistakes made by novice forensic nurses. Critical thinking and clini- cal ethical reasoning are the building blocks of clinical judgment. How to cite this paper: Constantino, R.E., Allen, L.C., Hui, V., Nitowski, K.M., Ka- meg, B., Bowser, A.S., Burkart, R. and Brax- ter, B. (2022) Clinical Judgment Develop- ment: Six Steps to Establish Professional Identity and Role-Specific Competencies in Caring for a Sexual Assault Survivor. Health, 14, 23-37. https://doi.org/10.4236/health.2022.141002 Received: December 15, 2021 Accepted: January 4, 2022 Published: January 7, 2022 Copyright © 2022 by author(s) and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access