gut-instinct
the only thing i can tell you is this: your gut instinct gives you a 'heads up' you could say on what you think you should do. your education tells you the rest. if you believe that you are right, do what your gut tells you to do and if you're wrong, you'll learn from it. you're gut will save your [size=7][/size]butt many times.......

If you are a new nurse, you may not have enough experience to have a well-developed "gut instinct". I think this is something you develop through a synthesis of experience and education. When you've been doing this type of work for a while, you'll know when to trust your feelings. Until then, whenever you have a feeling about something, check it out with a more experienced nurse, and find out how he/she problem-solves these issues.

You cannot put an old head on the young