Delegation and Supervision
Delegation is an aspect of leadership. For the Registered Nurse (RN), the ability to delegate is both a skill and a responsibility. It is a matter of sharing responsibilities with others who can be trusted to carry them out. Delegation does not free the delegator from liability, however. The RN who delegates is still accountable for the outcomes of responsibility transferred to someone else (Walker et al., 2021). That is why delegating responsibility carefully is so important. to Effective delegation is needed in nursing so that patient care is competent, prompt, and of a high-quality. At the same time, delegation is not supervision. This paper will discuss both concepts and explain how they differ.
Definition of Delegation
Delegation in nursing refers to the process where an RN entrusts specific tasks or responsibilities to other nurses, such as Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) or Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). The RN has to know the skill level and competencies of the team members before delegating responsibilities. All the same, the RN is ultimately responsible for patient care. Tasks may be delegated, but ultimate responsibility cannot be passed over to anyone else on the floor: it starts and stops with the RN.
The Five Rights of Delegation
For the process of delegation, the American Nurses Association describes the Five Rights of Delegation, which get to the essence of what it means to delegate properly: there should be alignment between all five of these elementsright task, right circumstance, right person, right...
A right task in the hands of the wrong person or wrong situation can produce a poor outcome. That is to be avoided. If one follows the Five Rights, delegation should proceed smoothly (Crevacore et al., 2023).
The first step is to identify the right task. This means that the task being delegated is appropriate for the specific patient and within the scope of practice for the nurse being tasked with carrying it out. Tasks such as taking vital signs or administering oral medications can be safely delegated to a competent CNA or LPN,...
…with making sure delegated tasks are performed safely. For example, an RN supervising an LPN giving medication would need to observe the procedure, leave feedback for the LPN, and be available to address any complications (Sommer et al., 2020).
In my clinical experience, I have delegated the task of recording patient vitals to CNAs. Before delegation, I would assess each CNAs competency and make sure they were comfortable with the equipment and task. I would also give clear instructions and make sure they understood the importance of reporting immediately any abnormal readings. Delegating was helpful because it enabled me to focus on other tasks, like coming up with care plans or administering medications.
In instances, I supervised a newly hired LPN who was responsible for wound care. Although the LPN had previous experience, I observed the initial procedures to make sure they were in line with our facilitys protocols. I was able to give real-time feedback and address any questions the LPN had. Over time I saw that the LPN was proficient and the…
