Delegation....does it get easier

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.