1. Delegation: An Art of Professional Practice

2. Delegation…
The transfer of responsibility for the performance of an activity from individual to another while retaining accountability for the outcome.
American Nurses Association

3. Supervision…
The provision of guidance, evaluation, and follow-up by a licensed nurse for the accomplishment of a nursing task which has been previously assigned.
National Council of State Boards of Nursing

4. Assignment…
The downward or lateral transfer of both responsibility and accountability of an activity from one individual to another.
American Nurses Association

5. Importance of Delegation

6. To delegate or not to delegate…
Nursing Practice Acts and other state laws
Patient needs
Staff competencies
Policy and procedures
Clinical situation

7. Do not delegate… Initial nursing assessment
Nursing diagnosis, goals, and care plans
Evaluation of patient progress
Professional interventions which requires knowledge, judgment, or skills
Discharge planning
Educational planning

8. The Delegation Process
Define the task
Decide on the delegate
Determine the task
Reach an agreement
Monitor performance and provide feedback

9. The Nursing Process
Assessment
Plan
Intervention
Evaluation

10. The Five Rights of Delegation
Right Task
Right Circumstance
Right Person
Right Direction/ Communication
Right Supervision

11. Delegation Obstacles
Environmental
Delegator
Delegate

12. What do you think?

13. Delegation Assessment

14. Mr. Jones, a bedridden but stable patient needs a bed bath. You
Assign the task to the nurse assistant
Work together with the nursing assistant to give the bath
Do the bath yourself because Mr. Jones is a VIP and you know you’ll do the best job

15. You are the charge nurse, and one of your team members is a float nurse who has never worked on the unit before. You
Spend 15 minutes with her assessing her abilities and providing a brief orientation to the unit so that she can take the full assignment
Give her three of the “easiest patients” and pick up the rest of the assignment yourself
Call the supervisor and tell her that you have no time to orient some and the float will be more trouble than she’s worth

16. Another new admission is arriving on your unit. You
Assign the patient to the LPN, recognizing that one of the registered nurses will be overseeing and completing the admission assessment
Ask the nursing assistant to get the vital signs, and you complete the admission before the assigning the patient to another RN
Take the admission yourself because everyone else seems to busy

17. You and a nursing assistant are assigned to 10 patients on a medical surgical floor. You
Spend 15 minutes making walking rounds with the nursing assistant, then decide how to distribute patient care tasks
Assign tasks according to the assignment board from yesterday
Send the nursing assistant to take vital signs without further information or communication

18. You are uncertain about a new licensed nurses skill in giving a cleansing enema. You
Review the hospital procedure with the nursing assistant and observe him performing the task so that next time he can do it alone
Give the enema yourself, promising that the next time you’ll teach the new nurse
You never assign him to give enemas

19. Have a relaxing weekend…