How do I delegate?

Nurses Professionalism

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I am currently a nursing student and an having a difficulty time delegating. I feel like I am being bossy when I ask someone to do something, so I usually just do it myself. I realize there will be a time when I don't have time to do everything.... so how do I delegate without sounding bossy?

Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.

Be respectful and succinct. Don't ever ask someone to something you would not do yourself and ask for help when you need it, otherwise do it yourself. I have been in many roles in my life and have always found that I would walk through fire for a peer that is working alongside me but not at all for a peer sitting down playing candy crush.

I have a feeling me and NOADLS would not mesh well at the workplace...

Being bossy is literally what delegating is - as a boss, you are distributing the workload according to your professional judgement. I think your task is not so much "not sounding bossy" as coming to terms with the fact that as a supervisor it's OK to give direction as long as it's done with respect and thought as to the workload of the unit as a whole. Nobody can get you over the idea that isn't OK but you.

Best of luck. Gaining that confidence is done a little bit at a time, and sometimes you will shake in your boots. Square your shoulders, look people directly in the eyes and come at it with the expectation that everyone is there to meet the needs of the population you're working with. In other words, fake it till you make it.

Delegate appropriately. This is something that some nurses get wrong. They choose to be BOSSY by delegating as much as possible, over being a LEADER, by delegating when it's the BEST choice. Or, they underdelegate, and make poor prioritizing decisions that effects their work. The point is to make things efficient. If you are not getting important nurse things done, that is not efficient, and your CNA is a wasted resource. However, if you are doling out a workload that slows the CNA down while you get on the phone or work super slowly, that is also in efficient, as you are the wasted resource.

Understand what the CNA expects you to delegate. Most of the time, it's routine and they should already be doing it. The rest of the time, you must make a judgement call. Do I have important things to do that must be done that only I can do? Delegate. Do I have some time time to do this myself, and my CNA is really loaded? Probably do it yourself, or work together.

It is up to nurses to have good time management. Working slower than other nurses are expected to when you are on the job is no excuse to overdelegate. However, as a student, you need that extra time because you are learning and practicing skills. You also need to know what you can delegate. So I would lean toward the delegation, and be confident when you delegate that you are making the right decision and not being bossy when you say it. If you do not say it with confidence, CNAs might actually question whether the task needed delegating. This is how I felt as a CNA when people asked me to do things in an unsure matter.

Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
It is up to nurses to have good time management. Working slower than other nurses are expected to when you are on the job is no excuse to overdelegate[/Quote]

Working slower than the other nurses can also be the **result of UNDERdelegating.** :yes:

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