A foreign nurse’s first week on a French medical ward often involves understanding that her clinical skills are not in question — her ability to read the transmissions, follow the plan de soins, and communicate with the team at the relève is. This article focuses on the French that nurses actually use: not medical theory, but the language of the ward round, the medication trolley, and the patient call button.
Understanding Your Role in the French Nursing System
In France, the registered nurse holds the title IDE — Infirmier(ère) Diplômé(e) d’État. This is a state-certified role with specific legally defined competencies. French nurses work within a strict scope of practice (décret de compétences), and understanding the boundaries of your role is linguistically important: you need to know how to say what you can and cannot do.
Key titles to know on a French ward:
- L’IDE — registered nurse
- L’aide-soignant(e) (AS) — healthcare assistant / nursing auxiliary
- Le / la cadre de santé — ward manager / nurse manager
- L’infirmier(ère) de nuit — night nurse
- L’interne de garde — on-call junior doctor (the person you page at 2am)
For a full overview of the French hospital hierarchy and how these roles interact, see our article on French hospital culture: what to expect.
The Nursing Handover: La Relève and Les Transmissions
The nursing handover in France is called la relève (the handover shift) or les transmissions (the report / nursing notes). It can be oral, written, or both. Understanding and contributing to this process is essential from day one.
Oral handover phrases
- Je vous transmets la chambre 3, M. Dupont, 72 ans. — I’m handing over room 3, Mr Dupont, 72 years old.
- Il est hospitalisé pour décompensation cardiaque. — He is admitted for cardiac decompensation.
- Sa tension ce matin était à 150/90, fréquence cardiaque à 88. — His BP this morning was 150/90, heart rate 88.
- Il a bien dormi, pas de douleur signalée. — He slept well, no pain reported.
- Il est à jeun depuis minuit pour la coronaro de ce matin. — He has been fasting since midnight for this morning’s angiography.
- À surveiller : diurèse et œdèmes des membres inférieurs. — Monitor: urine output and lower limb oedema.
- La famille a appelé hier soir, ils veulent parler au médecin. — The family called last night, they want to speak to the doctor.
Written transmissions
French nursing notes are often written in the dossier patient using a structured format. The DAR method is common: Données, Actions, Résultats (Data, Actions, Results). An example:
D — Patient se plaint de douleur EVA 6/10 en région lombaire depuis 22h. FR normale, T° 37.4°C.
A — Antalgique palier 1 administré selon prescription. Position de confort assurée.
R — Douleur réévaluée à EVA 3/10 à 23h30. Patient endormi à 00h.
This translates as: Patient complaining of pain rated 6/10 in the lumbar region since 10pm. Normal respiratory rate, temperature 37.4°C. Tier 1 painkiller administered as prescribed. Comfort position ensured. Pain re-evaluated at 3/10 at 11:30pm. Patient asleep by midnight.
For the abbreviations you will encounter in these notes, see our guide to French medical abbreviations.
Patient Assessment: Key Phrases
These are the questions and observations that structure nursing assessment throughout a shift.
Vital signs and monitoring
- Je vais prendre vos constantes. — I’m going to take your vital signs.
- Je vais prendre votre tension artérielle. — I’m going to take your blood pressure.
- Votre température est normale. — Your temperature is normal.
- Votre saturation en oxygène est bonne / un peu basse. — Your oxygen saturation is good / a bit low.
- Je vais noter tout ça dans votre dossier. — I’m going to record all of this in your file.
Comfort and mobility
- Comment vous sentez-vous ce matin ? — How are you feeling this morning?
- Avez-vous bien dormi ? — Did you sleep well?
- Avez-vous mal quelque part ? — Do you have pain anywhere?
- Avez-vous besoin d’aide pour vous lever ? — Do you need help getting up?
- Pouvez-vous marcher jusqu’aux toilettes seul(e), ou préférez-vous l’aide d’un soignant ? — Can you walk to the bathroom alone, or would you prefer a carer’s help?
- Faites attention en vous levant — ne vous levez pas trop vite. — Be careful getting up — don’t stand up too quickly.
Nutrition and hydration
- Avez-vous mangé ce matin ? — Did you eat this morning?
- Avez-vous bu suffisamment ? — Have you drunk enough?
- Vous êtes à jeun pour l’examen de ce matin. — You are fasting for this morning’s examination.
- Ne mangez rien et ne buvez rien jusqu’à l’examen. — Do not eat or drink anything until the examination.
The Medication Round: La Tournée des Médicaments
Medication administration in France is exclusively within the IDE’s scope of practice — nursing assistants cannot administer medication. The language around this process is precise and safety-critical.
- C’est l’heure de vos médicaments. — It is time for your medication.
- Voici votre traitement du matin / du midi / du soir. — Here is your morning / midday / evening medication.
- Prenez-les avec un grand verre d’eau. — Take them with a full glass of water.
- Ce comprimé est à prendre à jeun. — This tablet is to be taken on an empty stomach.
- Avez-vous des difficultés à avaler les comprimés ? — Do you have difficulty swallowing tablets?
- Ne mâchez pas ce comprimé — avalez-le entier. — Do not chew this tablet — swallow it whole.
- Je reviens dans une heure pour vérifier si ça a fait effet. — I’ll come back in an hour to check if it has taken effect.
- Vous avez refusé votre traitement — je dois le noter dans le dossier. — You have refused your medication — I need to record this in the file.
For more on how medication is discussed in French clinical settings, see talking about medication and treatments in French.
Wound Care and Procedures
- Je vais refaire votre pansement. — I’m going to change your dressing.
- La plaie cicatrise bien. — The wound is healing well.
- Il y a un peu de rougeur autour de la plaie — je vais en informer le médecin. — There is some redness around the wound — I will inform the doctor.
- Je vais vous poser une perfusion. — I’m going to set up a drip.
- Je vais retirer votre cathéter. — I’m going to remove your cannula.
- Vous allez sentir une légère piqûre. — You will feel a slight sting.
- Je prélève du sang pour les analyses. — I’m taking blood for the lab tests.
- Serrez le poing, s’il vous plaît. — Make a fist, please.
Communicating with the Medical Team
As an IDE, you are responsible for communicating patient status changes to the medical team. French hospital culture places significant importance on this relay, particularly at night when the interne de garde (on-call junior doctor) relies on your assessment to triage callbacks.
Calling the on-call doctor
- Bonsoir, c’est l’infirmière du service de médecine interne. — Good evening, it is the nurse from the internal medicine ward.
- Je vous appelle au sujet de M. Martin, chambre 12. — I am calling about Mr Martin, room 12.
- Il présente depuis une heure une douleur thoracique à 7/10, avec une baisse de saturation à 90%. — For the past hour he has had chest pain rated 7/10, with a drop in oxygen saturation to 90%.
- Ses constantes : TA 160/100, FC 110, T° 38.2°C. — Vital signs: BP 160/100, HR 110, temp 38.2°C.
- Que souhaitez-vous que je fasse en attendant votre venue ? — What would you like me to do while waiting for you to come?
Escalating concerns
- La situation me préoccupe — pouvez-vous venir l’examiner ? — The situation concerns me — can you come and examine him / her?
- Son état s’est dégradé depuis la dernière prise de constantes. — His / her condition has deteriorated since the last set of observations.
- Je pense qu’il / elle nécessite une réévaluation urgente. — I believe he / she requires urgent reassessment.
End-of-Shift Documentation
French nursing documentation requires careful, precise language. Avoid vague terms. The standard expected is that another nurse reading your notes could pick up care without needing to ask any additional questions.
- Patient stable tout au long du poste, aucun événement intercurrent. — Patient stable throughout the shift, no intercurrent events.
- Douleur traitée et soulagée à EVA 2/10 en fin de poste. — Pain treated and relieved to 2/10 at the end of the shift.
- Patient agité en début de nuit, calmé après entretien. — Patient agitated at the start of the night, settled after a conversation.
- Prélèvements effectués et envoyés au laboratoire. — Blood samples taken and sent to the laboratory.
- Famille informée de l’évolution par téléphone à 17h. — Family informed of progress by phone at 5pm.
Building Your Nursing French Systematically
The best way to progress is to focus on the language of the tasks you perform most often. If your shift involves mainly patient monitoring and medication rounds, drill those sections first. Handover language — both oral and written — is worth mastering early because it affects how your team perceives your competence regardless of your clinical skills.
For the broader vocabulary of symptoms and physical complaints you will encounter during assessment, our article on pain, symptoms, and injuries in French is the most useful complement to this guide. And for the full set of abbreviations you will encounter in written documentation, see our guide to French medical abbreviations.
Next step: If you are starting a new nursing position in France, spend your first days focusing on the three communication scenarios that happen every single shift: the handover, the medication round, and calling the on-call doctor. These three alone will cover 80% of your daily French communication needs on the ward.