Delegation....does it get easier

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Oct 21, 2008

delegation....does it get easier? it is a skill, like any other. delegation is more of a cognition skill rather than a hands on one and with employees it sometimes also involves communication and behavior skill as well. practice and experience eventually make perfect.

the general guidelines of delegation are:

primary concern is to make sure that the patient is safe
you must know the job descriptions and abilities of the healthcare personnel and subordinates who you supervise
you must know facility policies and procedures
you must know your nurse practice act
you must delegate tasks to those who you know are capable of performing what you are assigning them to do
you base tasks that you delegate to others on your knowledge of the state nurse practice act, facility policies and facility job descriptions.
give directions for the task that are clear in order to avoid misunderstandings
give a deadline when you expect the task to be completed
ask the person to repeat back instructions to verify they have the directions correct if you suspect they do not understand what you are asking them to do
follow-up to make sure the task was completed correctly and by the deadline in order to evaluate the performance of the task (this is your supervision function)
provide praise when tasks are done well and within deadlines; provide feedback and criticism when necessary
assign same tasks to the same individuals if possible

remember that you are ultimately accountable, so if you fail to follow or do any of the above in a responsible way, you've failed in delegating a task correctly.