Delegation Flashcards
What is delegation #1?
What is delegation #2?
Handing off tasks to competent staff in order to get the job done
Assigning routine tasks of things that the manager doesn’t have time for
T/F
Delegation can help a unit as a whole
True. It can increase productivity but also helps employees grow.
Delegation strategy part 1
Plan ahead.
Identify what skills the task needs, and find someone who fits that description.
And then you need to communicate the end goal to them.
Delegation strategy part 2
Empower the delegate, and tell them the set deadline.
Monitor & provide guidance for them too.
Make sure to evaluate their performance and reward the accomplishment.
What document can you refer to when trying to understand what you can legally delegate?
Nurse practice act - it gives guidelines to RN’s about what they can delegate to LPNs and what their practice is as well as for CNA/PTC.
T/F
There aren’t rules about the degree of supervision used when delegating a task
False.
The nurse practice act goes into the supervision required for the task. It is meant to lower risk.
What does “restriction of the word nurse” mean?
It means the only people in a certain state that can be called a nurse are RN’s and LPN’s. Not cna or ptc.
Underdelegating
Who is it common in?
When the manager makes the false assumption that someone doesn’t have the capability to do something correctly or they don’t trust them enough
Common for new nurse managers
Overdelegating
The manager can over-burden the staff
Often because the manager is insecure about their own ability to complete a task
- make sure to be aware of other’s workloads
Improper delegating
Delegating things to people who don’t have the ability to accomplish the goal
- be aware of skills and abilities of the staff
T/F
Telling the CNA to pass meds is a form of improper delegating
True.
The CNA doesn’t have the license to pass meds
Five rights of delegation
- Right task
- Right circumstances
- Right person
- Right direction/communication
- Right supervision
Right task
Can this task be done for this patient?
You don’t wanna give someone a task to pass a beta blocker if the patient isn’t even a HTN patient
Right circumstances
Do you have the right setting, resources, or the relevant factors for the job to be done?
If you tell a cna to give someone a bed bath, make sure they have the towels to do it and that the patient didn’t already get one.
Right person
Make sure the delegated task is delegated to the right staff member and for the right patient
Right supervision
Don’t let a PCT be the witness for a nurse trying to waste meds….
Right direction/communication
Clear, concise description of the task including limits and expectations
- give good direction
T/F
It is seen as unprofessional to say no to your manager when they delegate a task to you
False.
It is acceptable to say no if you must
T/F
There are set standards for unlicensed assistive personnel
False. No license or scope of practice.
Which is why accountability falls on the nurse
Potential costs of delegating tasks to UAP?
Liability for negligence increases - the RN can delegate, but they are still accountable for the screw up.
What does the RN need to know before they delegate a task to UAP?
Job description
Knowledge base
Demonstrated skills - can they do the skill?
T/F
If an UAP is given a delegated task and does harm, they have no accountability.
False. They will have personal accountability (could be fired) but they do not have legal accountability (so they won’t be sued).
Is it inappropriate for a manager to ask if a staff member is capable of a task?
No. Managers should always ask staff if they are capable BUT also observe that they are capable.
What is the most common reason for staff to be resistance to delegation?
When they feel the manager is not considering their perspective
Or they feel like things have been over-delegated.
Elements that affect delegation in transcultural work areas
Communication Space Social organization Time Environmental control Biological variations
Elements that affect delegation in transcultural work areas: communication
Dialect, volume, touch, context of speech
- giving a task in a softer tone can make it sound not as important
Elements that affect delegation in transcultural work areas: space
Give personal space to staff members.
Elements that affect delegation in transcultural work areas: social organization
Work may not be the number one value for people. Maybe they care about other things going on in they rlives
Elements that affect delegation in transcultural work areas: Time
past - preserving the past and maintaining what’s here
future - wants to be visionary and make changes
Elements that affect delegation in transcultural work areas: environmental control
Perception of having control in the environmental ; fate, love, destiny
Elements that affect delegation in transcultural work areas: biological variations
Bio social differences between ethnic groups. psychological and even diseases
What are LPN’s allowed to do?
Can LPN’s do an assessment?
Foley catheter Oral meds Injections Some IV meds (but not all) But, a hospital doesn't have to give them the right to do those things.
LPN’s can do a focused assessment but not the initial general , full work up.
Can LPN’s educate patients?
Nope they cannot. That is RN’s job always.
- they can reinforce it
