Delegation question

Nurses Safety

Published

Can one Rn delegate another Rn? I had a patient that was stable awaiting for ems to arrive, while tending to this patient I was notified that a second patient needed my immediate attention. I delegated another Rn to stay in the room with the first patient while I went to assess the second patient. My employer felt this was wrong. I'm confused is this delegation not allowed?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

You didn't delegate...you asked another nurse to help out and she did. Delegation involves an RN task being given to someone with a narrower scope of practice but for which you are still ultimately responsible.

Asking another RN to help out with a task or with a patient is not delegation, it's teamwork. Why the heck is your employer doing this nitpicking of two nurses working together? Does your boss not want you all to help each other?

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The only thing I can think is the Rn I asked to help me must have went and complained. I had no other choice I couldn't leave the first patient alone and on the other hand I couldn't let the other patient's sugar drop any lower so I did the best thing for both patients. I do have a day left to write a appeal letter because I completely agree this is a ridiculous reason to nitpick over asking someone qualified for some help.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

You are being written up for this????

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Did your employer have a suggestion about what they thought you should have done to keep everyone safe? Short of cloning yourself, you can't be in 2 places at one time.

It would be interesting to find out what their solution to the issue would have been. Without a solution that provided safe care for everyone, there is no corrective action.

Your response should address that your actions provided a safe outcome for both patients.

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Doesn't sound like delegation to me. It sounds like team work.

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

It's not delegation when you are asking a task of a laterally qualified peer. Sounds like your coworker needs a team spirit reminder!

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Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.

Are you being written up for having a coworker help with your patient, or is the problem in how you communicated with the other RN? It sounds to me like it MUST be the latter, or else your management is totally off their rocker. The fact that you were asking about "delegating" to another RN makes me wonder if you somehow "ordered" her to take the patient, which would definitely be a problematic interaction.

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I guess delegation was the incorrect choice of words, that term seemed to keep coming up in my research because I'm just baffled over the whole situation. The other nurse and I had a conversation and when I explained that I needed to help another patient she offered to stay so I could help the other patient. Management has yet to come up with a solution seeing as I can't physically be in two places at once... I'm just frustrated and looking forward to moving on to bigger and better jobs at this point!!

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

So you've delegated, then asked, and now you're saying she offered. That's a whole lot of different versions of the transpired events. It would be interesting to know which version your coworker gave to management

I guess delegation was the incorrect choice of words, that term seemed to keep coming up in my research because I'm just baffled over the whole situation. The other nurse and I had a conversation and when I explained that I needed to help another patient she offered to stay so I could help the other patient. Management has yet to come up with a solution seeing as I can't physically be in two places at once... I'm just frustrated and looking forward to moving on to bigger and better jobs at this point!!
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The only thing I would have done differently, OP, is to be sure that the nurse got a quick rundown on why it was that a nurse needed to stay 1:1 with the patient until ems arrived, as well as a "hit the highlights" on why they were being sent out. (A mini-report if you will).

I could sense a frustration with being delegated to stay with a patient who I didn't know what caused the ems call, and to have to give a half butt report to ems as I was not in the loop.

So delegate, yes. Delegate with no information that would assist with the care and transferring the patient, no.

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