Maria de Fátima Mendes Marques
◽
Carlos Lopes Alves Henriques Pina David
◽
Maria Anabela Ferreira dos Santos
◽
Sandra Cristina da Silva Neves
◽
Maria Jose Fonseca Pinheiro
◽
...
ABSTRACT Objectives: to understand the perceptions of senior students in an undergraduate nursing course at a nursing college in Lisbon regarding skills related to clinical decision-making learned during their initial training. Methods: qualitative study, of an exploratory and descriptive nature. Data collection occurred by carrying out a focus group with eight senior students in an undergraduate nursing course. Data treatment applied content analysis, performed with twebQDA® software. Results: data were analyzed according to the four dimensions of Tanner’s model of clinical judgment, and noticing and interpreting stood out as the most influential in clinical decision-making. Theoretical and clinical knowledge, validation of care planning, prioritization, and capacity to discuss and debate about situations emerged as the most representative skills. Final considerations: students make decisions by means of a complex process by using the knowledge and skills learned during their training.