Ask the expert: Verify skills before delegating
Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, May 8, 2009
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education!
This week, Debbie Buchwach, BSN, RN-BC, shares how to help nurses delegate tasks to the appropriate peer.
Q: How can I help nurses delegate tasks to the right team member?
A: Delegation is critical to time management and productivity. The decision to delegate occurs after a patient has been assessed by the registered nurse and the patient’s needs and condition are taken into consideration. The nurse prioritizes the patient’s needs, considers the patient’s condition, differentiates between nursing versus non-nursing tasks, and selects tasks to be delegated. Then, the nurse chooses the appropriate member of the team to assume the task.
Here are some questions to consider when matching delegated tasks with skill levels:
- Are they licensed or unlicensed?
- Are they in orientation?
- How long have they worked in the role?
- Have they been checked off on this particular skill?
- Do they feel confident they can complete the task?
- Do they need additional training/practice prior to completing the skill independently?
Have a question for our experts? Email your queries to Editor Cameran Erny at cerny@hcpro.com. See your name in print and get the answers you’re looking for.
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education!
Related Products
-
Briefings on The Joint Commission
Briefings on The Joint Commission will help you with all of your accreditation and survey preparation needs. Every month...
-
Hospital Safety Center
Improve compliance with hospital safety standards from The Joint Commission, OSHA, and other regulators with this...
-
Healthcare Life Safety Compliance
Learn Life Safety Code tips and interpretations for healthcare facilities with this in-depth monthly resource.
-
Strategies for Nurse Managers
Strategies for Nurse Managers is a 12-page monthly how-to newsletter that was created exclusively to help you save time...
-
Nurse Leader Weekly
Our informative free e-mail newsletter for nursing professionals delivers helpful tips and advice each week!
Most Popular
- Articles
-
- Featured blog post: Nurses face felony charges after reporting physician to the Texas Medical Board
- Topic: CMS, OESS post new security compliance review information, checklist
- Q/A: Volume requirement for reporting hydration services
- HIPAA Q&A: Answering service messages
- News and briefs: Oklahoma Osteopathic Association against residency bill change
- What does case-mix index mean to you?
- QA:Coding multiple initial infusions
- OB services: Coding inside and outside of the package
- CMS issues IPPS proposed rule for FY 2013
- The debate continues: Nurses who reported physician to the Texas Medical Board file federal appeal
- E-mailed
-
- Featured blog post: Nurses face felony charges after reporting physician to the Texas Medical Board
- Are your workforce members texting PHI?
- Don't let these sentinel events trigger falsely
- Arkansas woman convicted for HIPAA violation
- Q&A: Coding for protein malnutrition
- Q&A tackles coding questions about injections and infusions
- Joint Commission Center announces handoff communication solutions
- Inside best practice: Reduce patient falls with a stoplight
- Identify modifiable risk factors to prevent patient falls
- Hospitalist-surgeon comanagement has no effect on outcomes
- Searched