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Andrea Raines and Karen Hardin
“I attribute my success to this: I never gave nor took any excuse.”- Florence Nightingale
The Role of The Nurse Leader Part 2
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Introduction
Delegation in Nursing
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Define terminology important to the art of delegation
a. Delegation
According to a joint statement by the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the National Council for State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) (2019), delegation is allowing the delegatee to complete or perform a certain nursing activity, skill, or procedure, which is normally outside of the normal scope for the delegate and is not routinely practiced. Registered Nurses (RN) use delegation as a tool to ensure the completion of all tasks related to patient care. Ensuring each patient receives competent care through the use of the nursing assistant, allows the RN to prioritize and safely assign each task. Delegation allows the independently practicing nurse, to be accountable for the quality of care provided to the patient (Lanier & Morris, 2017) and is a skill of critical competency, essential for nursing. This chapter will discuss the role of the Registered Nurse when delegating to Licensed Practical Nurses, Vocational Nurses, and Assistive Personnel.
b. Delegated Responsibility
Any nursing skill, activity, or procedure that is transferred from the RN to the delegatee becomes delegated responsibility (NCSBON & ANA, 2019). The employer holds specific responsibilities related to delegation such as the following: Identification of the nurse leader who is responsible for the oversight of responsibilities which are delegated for the facility. This nurse leader will work with a committee to determine the responsibilities which may be delegated, as well as the circumstances for delegation within each facility. Policies and procedures should be developed followed by clear communication to all licensed nurses regarding which responsibilities can be delegated. The employer/nurse leader is then responsible for ensuring that all delegates demonstrate knowledge and competency regarding delegated responsibilities. (NCSBON & ANA, 2019). The licensed nurse is responsible for determining when and what should be delegated in the practice setting. Clear communication with the delegatee regarding the delegated responsibility should follow. The licensed nurse must be available to answer questions and offer guidance as needed while understanding the possibility of performing the task him/herself might be necessary depending on the circumstances. Follow-up between the delegator and delegatee is required after task completion. Any feedback regarding competence or issues should be reported to the nurse leader especially related to judgment and decision making (NCSBN & ANA, 2019). The Delegatee should only accept the responsibilities for which appropriate training has been received. The delegatee must feel comfortable p