Effective Delegation: Video Analysis

Delegating is one of the most valuable leadership skills a charge nurse possesses.   Effective delegation skills are essential for proper patient care and safety. Delegation is defined as when a nursing professional entrusts the performance of a nursing task to someone who is qualified, competent, and able to perform the assigned task (Q1).  In order for the charge nurse to delegate effectively,  he or she must take into consideration the patient's needs as well as the capabilities of the nursing professional for whom he or she is delegating the task to. The American Nurses Association outlines The Five Rights of Delegation as a guideline for nursing professionals.  The first right is for the professional to determine if the task is one to

The first consideration a registered nurse should determine is if “The Right Task (Cherry 355-356)” is being delegated to the right staff member. Delegation to the right staff member must be in their scope of practice and have proven to competent to complete. An individuals’ scope of practice will be set forth by the facility in which they work. In addition to individual facility polices the nurse must adhere to the scope of delegation set forth in the Nurse Practice Act of Maryland. Per the Nurse Practice Act of Maryland the task to be delegated must be “within the area of responsibility of the nurse delegating the act (Code of Maryland Regulations 10.27.11.03).” An example of incorrect delegating would be having an unlicensed individual, CNA or LPN to

Accountability means:” being accountable for one’s own action”. The American Nursing Association (ANA) states in its code that the nurse will assume accountability for individual nursing judgments and actions. Professional nurses are accountable in several areas including accountability to the public, client, profession, employer, and self (Hood, 2010, p. 307). All professional nurses have the responsibility to work within their scope of practice to provide the best possible care to patients. Nurses’ should have a thorough knowledge about their accountability in specific areas of practice. The level of responsibility and accountability depends on professional levels. A nursing supervisor has more responsibility than a charge- nurse. A

For example, Jill is a RN and Marie is a UAP at General Hospital. Jill and Marie are assigned to work together. Jill delegates to Marie the vital signs, patient hygiene, and blood glucose monitoring of all of her patients except for Mrs. Smith, who is sicker than any of the other patients. Jill decides not to delegate any of Mrs. Smith’s care because all of her care will require professional nursing judgment due to the severity of her condition; therefore Jill will be accountable and responsible for Mrs. Smith’s care. Marie is responsible for performing the duties that were delegated to her by Jill; however Jill remains accountable for all of the delegated tasks. If Jill overlooks a patient’s blood glucose level of 45 and the

Delegation is widely acknowledged to be an essential element of effective management (Yukl, G. 1994). Delegation is basically a process of assigning responsibility, sharing authority, and producing accountability in organizations. It is a managerial instrument that allows managers to nurture subordinates to capitalize the subordinate’s potential and ability to meet organizational goals and objectives. As a form of employee involvement in decision-making, delegation describes a category of leader behavior that entails assignment of new responsibilities to subordinates and additional authority to carry them out (Yukl, G. 1998). Managers usually find it easier to speak about delegation of

Nurses play many roles in the healthcare field, can have many duties to fulfill under their licensure. It is important for a nurse of any degree, or licenses to know all of the duties that can be performed under their scope of practice. Olin (2012) states, “Scopes of practice are the same for every nurse at a basic level and very different by specialty.” Therefore, it is important to understand the scope of practice, that the nurse is licensed for. A nurse has many roles under the scope of practice that the nurse is licensed under. There are times when a nurse is asked to perform a task that isn’t under the nurse’s scope of practice and guidelines, and it is very important not to fulfill the task at hand if it

This article discusses about the process of nursing delegation. For the process of nursing delegation, it must have strong communication, empowered staff, and organizational support. The guidelines identify 5 rights of delegation, which include right task, right circumstances, right person, right direction & communication, and right supervision & evaluation. When a delegator, such as a nurse, delegates, they will remain responsible for the tasks that were delegated. Delegation of an action/task is done based on the patient’s safety and their quality of care. Following the process enables a nurse to appropriately delegate to benefit the care of the patient.

The nurse is responsible and accountable for individual nursing practice and determines the appropriate delegation of tasks consistent with the nurse’s obligations to provide optimum patient care. (Bosek & Savage, 2007, p. 59) The nursing student realized that she wasn’t an expert in pharmacokinetics and requested the help of a pharmacist to provide quality care for her patient. (Bosek & Savage, 2007, p. 59) Delegation is a huge responsibility and should never be taken lightly. The duty of the nurse is to ensure the patient receives quality care. This means delegating responsibilities to others to ensure that care is met. If a nurse feels she is unsure of a certain area of care, that nurse is obligated to find the precise person who can provide that care. The author’s daughter (Bella) was in the hospital for a reoccurring MRSA infection. When the nurse walked in the door they were asked a question regarding infectious disease protocols and how best to handle the situation. Instead of giving an answer they thought might be correct, the nurse requested that an infectious disease doctor be called in to answer all questions concerning the patient.

This is the legal liability the practitioner owes to the patient. By accepting the responsibility to perform a task the practitioner must ensure the task is performed competently at least to the standard of the ordinarily competent practitioner in that type of task. If a practitioner such as a registered nurse should delegate a task, then that practitioner must be sure that the delegation is appropriate. This means that the task must be necessary; and the person performing the delegated task, for example a HCA, must understand the task and how it is performed, have the skills and abilities to perform the task competently and accept responsibility for carrying it out

A professional nurse who lacks the knowledge, ability to understand, and competence to delegate care appropriately not only

Accountability: As an endorsed enrolled nurse my responsibility is to be accountable for my actions and know the legal and ethical requirements and ramification of care for my patients. It’s my own professional practise to accept accountability and responsibility for my own actions and know my own level of competence and accept delegation from an RN or others in the health care team but also choosing whether or not I feel competent and do so these tasks by demonstrating and recognising my own level of competence and providing safe and practical care for patients

The Nursing Code of Ethics Provision 2 states that the nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient and it further implies that nurses should actively promote collaborative multi-disciplinary planning (American Nurses Association, 2012). If Ms. W does not have time to follow through with community services that could benefit Ms. R, then Ms. W has a responsibility to refer Ms. R to people who have the knowledge, resources, and time to help her.

Many components make up an accountable nurse. George Bernard Shaw stated, “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.” Nurses are faced with challenges everyday and decisions may need to be made at a moment’s notice. A nurse who is accountable will attempt to make the best decision on behalf of the patient; however, sometimes those choices lead to further consequences. By learning from mistakes and past experiences, nurses can learn to think critically and also use autonomy and beneficence as aids for success. A true nurse is someone who can admit faults, but continue to succeed for the sake of the patient.

According to Professional Standards for LPN, a nurse is ``professionals who are accountable for providing safe, competent and ethical care within the legal and ethical framework of nursing regulation``` (CLPNBC). Nurses have professional obligation to provide safe and ethical care, she is also responsible and accountable; so, she is responsible for errors she made. Professional obligations are based on the patient-centered care; so, nurse advocates for the patient`s rights. In this case, even the nurse worked on her own, she would have to ask for a help earlier to insure an appropriate, equal and safety care, but do not cut corners. She was at high risk to make errors during medication administration and compromised the patients’ lives.

This paper will attempt to show what skills are necessary for effective delegation, and how the managers of the author 's organization uses delegation in his or her management responsibilities. The paper will also attempt to show how delegation could be used more effectively within the four functions of management in that same organization. Through delegation managers combine task responsibilities and the authority needed to carry out tasks in the organization. The author will also discuss some advantages of delegation as well as the issue of poor delegation.