Delegation In Nursing Essay

Delegation can be defined as an act by which the delegator assign a specific task to a delegate. The delegator is the person delegating a task to another, and the delegate is the one accepting or chosen to carry out the order. In nursing, the delegator is usually a licensed personnel such as a registered nurse and the delegate can either be licensed (LPN) or unlicensed (NAP). According to the DC Board of Nursing, delegation is defined as the transfer of authority to a competent individual to execute a selected nursing task in a given situation. Register nurses do not only have the authority of delegating, but they must supervise and monitor for a proper and safe delivery of the assigned task. In DC, register nurses must follow the five right of a delegation which is: Right circumstance, Right person, Right direction/ communication, Right supervision, and Right evaluation. The registered nurse must make sure that he or she delegate by clearly communicating to the delegate the task assigned, the registered nurse must make sure that each delegated task is specific to each patient need. A District of Columbia Register nurse must delegate the appropriate task to the appropriate staff, for example, an unlicensed assistive personnel should not be assigned to educate a patient concerning a particular medication. The

(3-1205.14). The nurse’s license may be revoked or suspended; the nurse will not be allowed to practice in DC; he or she will be fine up to $5000 for each violation; a remediation approved by the board of nursing may be required, or probation may be applied. (3-1205.16). A registered nurse failure to properly delegate a task can impact patient safety, his or her colleague's life and in some cases can lead to patient