What must the nurse consider when delegating responsibility to another?

Delegating nursing responsibilities is an important tool for managing workloads in a medical facility. By assigning tasks to other employees, nurses can focus on other responsibilities that may require more detailed attention. Learning the importance of delegation in nursing and how to improve your delegation skills can help you effectively transfer tasks to others to ensure desirable outcomes. In this article, we explore why delegation is important in nursing and provide tips for improving your delegation skills.

Delegation in nursing is important because it maintains accountability while assigning tasks to staff members. Often, the person delegated to accomplish a task may have other duties, and the delegated task can be outside their normal responsibilities. When delegating in nursing, there are some procedures to keep in mind. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) outlines five rights of delegation:

Right task: The delegated task falls under the individual's job description of knowledge of the expectations.
Right circumstance: The patient who the delegate is working with is in a stable condition and not prone to fluctuations in their health or physical state.
Right person: When delegating tasks, a nurse makes sure the delegate has the knowledge and skills to perform the task properly.
Right direction and communication: To help the individual understand their task, the nurse gives explicit instructions and expectations, along with answering questions about any procedures.
Right supervision and evaluation: The nurse assigning the task remains available to supervise and make corrections as needed to ensure a desirable outcome.

Delegation can help nurses effectively manage their many responsibilities. It's a method for making their caseload more manageable while still ensuring patients receive the care they need. When used effectively, delegation can help save nurses time and provide other benefits such as:

Building skills in delegates
Allowing nurses to focus on more challenging tasks
Creating strong working relationships and motivating teamwork
Promoting the most effective utilization of staff
Improving resident and family satisfaction
Discovering potential in other employees

While both delegation and assignment involve transferring a task to another individual, there are a few differences between the two. When assigning a task, it usually is something within an individual's job description. This means they already have the proper education and training to perform the duty. However, when you delegate a task, it may be something beyond an individual's job description. Another difference between delegating and assigning tasks is that when you delegate a task, you are still responsible for the outcome, whereas when you assign a task, you also assign responsibility for the result.

Here are some tips to help you improve your delegation skills for nursing:

Be willing to yield some control: In order to delegate some of your tasks, be willing to let go of some of your control. You can still be active in monitoring the progress of the task, but it may take less of a hands-on approach as the individual performs the task for you.
Match abilities with tasks: Get to know your team members so you know what their strengths and weaknesses are. This can help when choosing who to delegate a task to so you assign it to the right person. Evaluate factors such as education, skillset and license status when determining delegation of tasks.
Identify potential problems: Before delegating, consider potential problems that may occur when transferring responsibilities to someone, such as a lack of confidence in doing the task. Try to come up with ways to overcome these challenges to prepare for when they occur.
Set reasonable goals: Clearly communicate the goal of the task to the individual you are delegating your assignment to. This helps them understand what they are working toward and what you expect from them. Consider making timelines or setting deadlines to help the delegate stay on schedule.
Delegate responsibilities fairly: When choosing who to delegate your assignment to, be fair in your decision. Try to delegate to various employees, rather than the same individual every time. Also, consider the tasks you delegate and try not to repeat undesirable tasks, such as bathing patients.
Consider delegation throughout your shift: As soon as you notice you won't be able to accomplish a particular task, find someone to delegate the assignment to. If possible, try to delegate throughout your shift to spread the number of delegations out.
Be thankful and respectful: Be sure to thank those who completed your delegated tasks. Showing respect to those helping you can help you develop a positive relationship and lead to greater success in your delegation in the future.
Develop critical thinking skills: Because delegation and critical thinking work together, it's helpful to improve your critical thinking skills. Being able to think through complex situations can help you make better decisions when delegating and find solutions when problems arise.
Practice being patient: Since delegation often involves employees performing an unfamiliar task, it may take some time for them to understand how to do it correctly. Be patient through the process as the individual develops their skills and knowledge.
Give advice and affirmation: Since the delegate may perform a task outside of their normal responsibilities, it's helpful to provide them with advice on how to succeed. Provide them with any necessary resources or training to help them succeed at the job duty and let the delegate know to alert you if a problem occurs while performing the task.
Learn through experience: To become better at delegating, use experimental learning. As you gain more experience in delegation, you may become more comfortable assigning others responsibilities and learn what works best.
Evaluate how the delegate did: After the delegate completes the task, review how they did and how the patient responded to their help. When evaluating, consider any opportunities for improvement in the future.