The Nurse Is Responsible And Accountable For Individual Nursing Practice

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

The National Council of State Boards in Nursing defines delegation as “transferring to a competent individual the authority to perform a selected nursing task in a selected situation” (National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Resources section, 4). When delegating, the registered nurse (RN) assigns nursing tasks to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) while still remaining accountable for the patient and the task that was assigned. Delegating is a management strategy that is used to provide more efficient care to patients. Authorizing other individuals to take on nursing responsibilities allows the nurse to complete other tasks that need tended to. However, delegation is done at the nurses’

(Polit & Beck, 2010). As nursing is person-centred and relies on a multidisciplinary team approach it has to take into account the care setting, patient predilections, clinical judgement and best available evidence. (Holland & Rees, 2010).

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.

Each facility has their specific way of scheduling and protocol for staffing; not every facility uses a model that has other nurses’ help decide the next shifts nursing assignment. Some places will have a separate person makes the assignments and determine which nurse will get which patients during each shift, this can lead to the issue of the person making the assignments not knowing specifics and the level of care needed for each individual patient. In some cases a nurse may only have a few patients and another nurse has double as many. The level of care each individual patient needs is a huge aspect to take into consideration, making pervious nurses

Nursing tasks delegated should be considered routine care for a specific patient, pose little potential harm, performed with a predictable outcome, and administered according to the plan of care. There should be an assessment of nursing needs including the frequency of nursing care and, the stability of the patient (UT Admin Code R156-31b. Nurse Practice Act Rule, 2013).

The second category of provisions relates to the nurse’s responsibility to maintain their own proficiency and health environments, delegate appropriately, preserve integrity, and keep their practice and competence current. It is crucial that nurses are proficient and maintain competency in order to deliver high quality care to patients. "The virtue of professional competence calls for continual professional growth and a commitment to lifelong learning. You must practice nursing that’s evidence-based, be knowledgeable about the scope and standards of nursing practice, and have the necessary skills to perform nursing tasks effectively” [ (Lachman, 2008, p. 44) ].

One thing is for certain, I listen and encourage the nurses’ inputs and opinions when it comes to changes regarding the department. I empower the nurses to have their voices heard and their actions be seen throughout the company and give credit where credit is due. I also encourage them to be better nurses and utilize their skills to the max, i.e. applying their rehabilitative nursing certification through trainings throughout the company.

A positive force for change centers on the nurse’s strong desire to change current practices. The combination of the turnover rate, low morale, and higher percentage of new nurses, is the driving

A nurse leader allows change to happen at

Ms. Hayes has learned since moving to her new position the best way to lead change is to be the change. With that said, she has noticed that people cannot change something until they first change themselves. The impact of change is not always clear, especially in a hospital environment. It is her believe that continuing to enforce change and to practice it.

Transition from one situation to another requires a scheduled process, and effective change leaders should first assess the need for change, gather accurate, comprehensive, timely information regarding to the progress of the change process. The most changes fail because nurses lack the support from their leaders to successfully adjust to new approaches for working. There are various techniques leaders should embark on to effectively implement changes and achieve a positive outcome in an organization. These strategies include education and communication, facilitation and support, participation, and involvement (Bower,

As the nurse leader progresses through the strategic planning process, he or she must take into consideration the financial costs and timeline required to implement their strategic plan. Developing an operational budget and a realistic timeline are critical elements in ensuring the strategic plan is successfully implemented (Lee & Jones, 2004).

5. The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to preserve integrity and safety, to maintain competence, and to continue personal and professional growth.

Most professions are identified, recognized, and associated with certain concepts and terminologies that define the particular profession. For the nursing profession, the concepts of health, illness, disease, disability, and wellness are words that most people use to define the role of nurses and the practice of nursing. A better understanding of the definition of these terminologies would provide a framework by which clinicians could build upon to create effective practices, educate patients and families, and provide awareness to the community resulting in a healthier society.