What is Delegation?
The word delegation can seem like such a simple word in everyday language but for nursing it is a complex process. Delegation, in nursing, is when the nurse gives an individual a task to complete that is appropriate for them and the situation. Assigning a task may not seem like a big deal but there is a lot of critical thinking involved for the nurse. Delegation requires trust, a good relationship between team members, communication, responsibility, and planning (Anthony & Vidal, K, 2010; Weydt, 2010).
Why is Delegation Important? Nursing is a field that keeps a nurse constantly on their feet. In reality some nurses are lucky to even have a 15 minute lunch break or even be able to have a break to use the restroom. Anything that can help nurses decrease their workload should be implemented, that is where delegation comes into play. There are many tasks that nurses may delegate to unlicensed assistive
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These five rights are crucial to nurse when they decide to delegate a task to someone else. There are certain skills that are appropriate and there are some skills that are inappropriate to delegate to someone else. There are some tasks that fall under that category of indirect delegation. Indirect delegation are tasks that can be delegated to someone without them being told to do it. Some of these tasks for UAP’s include giving a patient a bath, feeding a patient, getting the patient up to walk, etc. Some of these tasks may not be done in certain circumstances though due to the fact that the care for that patient may be need some critical thinking such as if the patient is acutely ill. Some LPN’s can give oral medications but not medications that are subcutaneous or intramuscular. The task being delegated should be predictable and not require a lot of critical