Delegation Skills for the Novice to the Expert Nurse

Today I’ll be talking about Delegation as a nurse and this information helps in other professions and situations where delegation is needed. Some of the information I’ll be talking about comes from an article titled Developing Delegation skills by Alice Weydt RN MS found from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol152010/No2May2010/Delegation-Skills.html.

I’ll be going over the following 1) What is delegation 2) Pros and Cons of Delegation 3) Helpful tips to becoming a better delegator.

What does delegation mean? Delegation is a complex process in professional practice requiring sophisticated clinical judgement and final accountability for patients’ care.  

According to the ANA Code of Ethics, The RN uses critical thinking and professional judgment when following The Five Rights of Delegation: 1. Right task 2. Right circumstances 3. Right person 4. Right directions and communication 5. Right supervision and evaluation.

Pros/Cons to delegation can be numerous here are just a few:

Pros: Delegation is important because this allows the nurse to be more effective and saves on time for other nursing tasks. Effective delegation allows the rest of the unit to run more efficiently.

Cons: Delegation can have its challenges if the tasks are assigned to the wrong person the outcome can be unsafe for the patient. Sometimes delegation is difficult depending on the relationship between the nurse, LPN or CNA.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Here are some helpful Tips with Delegation

Don’t take bad attitudes personally.

Help out when you can if you have time.

Being polite, respectful, friendly and considerate go a long way and make sure to say “thank you” often.

Include CNAs and LPNs as part of the team.

Try to develop working relationships with the CNAs and LPNs.

Keep in mind that CNAs and LPNs both have just as difficult of a workload as you do, it isn’t possible for one person to get everything done. Create a team approach mindset which allows for a better culture on the unit.

Be the nurse the CNA and LPN WANTS to help, by being willing to help out when you can. Do not be the nurse that just sits at the desk on their phone or gabs too much. Delegation does not give you the right to be lazy.

Delegation skills can also be developed using simulation drills to create practice scenarios reflecting daily practice.

Conclusion

In conclusion delegation has to be practiced before it can be perfected.

Delegation is a complex professional skill requiring sophisticated clinical judgement and being accountable for patients’ care.

Remember to always keep in mind the state nurse practice act to maximize patient care resources.

Staff relationships can influence the delegation potential and process.

When RNs do not effectively delegate to others, quality of care can be lessened and valuable resources can be mismanaged.

Having clarity about what can be delegated helps to define quality professional practice not only for nurses but also for other team members, patients, and families.

Let me know how you’re dealing with delegation as a new nurse or seasoned nurse.

Thank you for watching and I’ll see you next time.