Mindful communication is one of the most powerful tools a nurse can use when delegating responsibility to an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). In order to effectively delegate patient care to the UAP, the nurse must use the right communication. The right communication provides safe, quality outcomes for the nurse, the UAP, the patient, and the facility. The processes at the core of communication that are suggested to improve synchronization of a care team are effective, patient-centered, timely, and equitable care (Anthony & Vidal, 2010, p. 1). The registered nurse (RN) must assume responsibility for delegation, as well as client outcome. This makes it important for the RN to foster an open, truthful, and trusting environment with coworkers. Even the smallest piece of information left out of, or misinterpreted in …show more content…
As a nurse, the author will ensure that as a leader, she delegates information by providing a holistic perspective of the patient’s needs and diagnoses. This will help the UAP to understand the importance and urgency of the tasks delegated. The nurse will also work to obtain a trusting, open, and honest relationship with the UAP. If the UAP believes the nurse has the UAP, the patient, and facilities best intentions at heart, the UAP will be more likely to carry out the delegated tasks without adjournment. The nurse will make sure to be mindful of why the UAP may have performed a task in an untimely, or incorrect fashion, and take responsibility for the mistake. The nurse will then consult with the UAP and adjust how communication takes place, to ensure that tasks get carried out correctly, in a way the nurse means for the UAP to carry them out. Overall, if the nurse and UAP can foster a trusting relationship that allows for open dialogue, and willingness to change the patient will receive the most optimal care, and in turn have the most positive
The need for delegation in the nursing field is attributed to the fact that these professionals cannot perform every task for every patient. However, the delegation process is guided by some principles that help nurses to enhance the efficiency of their practice and avoid any legal implications. These principles include the fact that the process must always be in the best interest of the patient, ensuring the support employee must be adequately trained to carry out the task, and document written evidence of competence assessment. These principles are critical to the success and effectiveness of the delegation process.
The National Council of State Boards in Nursing defines delegation as “transferring to a competent individual the authority to perform a selected nursing task in a selected situation” (National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Resources section, 4). When delegating, the registered nurse (RN) assigns nursing tasks to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) while still remaining accountable for the patient and the task that was assigned. Delegating is a management strategy that is used to provide more efficient care to patients. Authorizing other individuals to take on nursing responsibilities allows the nurse to complete other tasks that need tended to. However, delegation is done at the nurses’ discretion and is a personal choice. Nurses must make careful decisions regarding delegation, taking into account the skill and training of the UAP, the difficulty and risk of the task, and the patient’s condition. The expected outcomes, a time frame for completion, and any limitations should be explained to the UAP at the time that the task was delegated.
Nurses should foster collaborative planning to provide safe, high-quality, patient-centered health care. As nurses, we probably know the patients the best since we spend much more time with them than any other members of the care team. We are the liaison between the patient and the rest of the care team. We need to identify a potential problem or issue, and bring it to the attention of the whole care team. We should facilitate mutual trust, respect, shared decision-making, and open communication among all relevant persons in the care of the patients. With the collaborative support of the whole care team, the patients are in a much better position and are more likely to make an informed and deliberate decision. Besides, the collaboration among the care team can facilitate communication among the care providers, and provide a channel for the care providers to vent their stress caused by the ethical dilemmas that they encounter in work. The support from peers is very important for care providers to maintain their emotional and psychological
As a result of this, interprofessional communication is important if nurses and other professionals are to deliver quality care and meet the health needs of the service user. Goodman and Clemow (2010) suggest that nurses must communicate safely and effectively with service users, professionals and other service provider using respect, care, compassion and dignity. In the same way Burnard and Gill (2014), suggest that effective communication is significant in the delivery of quality nursing care. Another reason why interprofessional communication is important is that, people with a learning disability have complex health need which requires collaborative working between professionals and collaborative working cannot function well without interprofessional communication (Lacey & Oyvry,
Nurses have a considerable amount of responsibility in any facility. They are responsible for administering medicines and treatments to there patient’s. While caring for there patients, nurses will make observations on patient’s health and then record there findings. As well as consulting with doctors and other healthcare professionals to plan proper individual patient care. They teach their patients how to manage their illnesses and explain to both the patient and the patients family how to continue treatment when returning home (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014-15). They also record p...
Cultivating teamwork is vital in the fast-moving pace of the Emergency Department. One of the most important ways to cultivate this process is through developing a plan of communication with the team. According to L.J. Hood, communication is “…the dynamic interaction between two or more persons in which ideas, goals, beliefs and values, feelings, and feelings about feelings are exchanged. Even very brief communication exchanges may change all involved parties” (Hood, 2014, P.81). In many scenarios some nurses and staff members are unwilling to be those team players that are needed in a busy nursing unit, and many times nurses and staff will not communicate professionally at all. In these situations, some nurses and staff will require coaching sessions on how to communicate, and in worst case scenarios some nurses and staff, who are unwilling to communicate professionally, will be asked to leave the team
Communication and interpersonal skills are closely related in the nurse-to-client professional relationship. There are several different types of communication in professional nursing. They are written communication, verbal communication and nonverbal communication.
“Communication is the heart of nursing… your ability to use your growing knowledge and yourself as an instrument of care and caring and compassion” (Koerner, 2010, as cited in Balzer-Riley, 2012, p. 2). The knowledge base which Koerner is referring to includes important concepts such as communication, assertiveness, responsibility and caring (Balzer-Riley, 2012). Furthermore, communication is complex. It includes communication with patients, patient families, doctors, co-workers, nurse managers and many others. Due to those concepts and the variety of people involved, barriers and issues are present. Knowing how to communicate efficiently can be difficult.
Nurses are responsible for their own practice and the care that their patients receive (Badzek, 2010). Nursing practice includes acts of delegation, research, teaching, and management. (ANA, 2010). The nurse is responsible for the following standards of care in all practice (Badzek, 2010). The individual nurse is also responsible for assessing their own competence and keeping their practice within the standards of the current standards of care for the specialty which they are practicing and the state nursing practice acts (ANA, 2010). As the roles of nursing change, nurses are faced with more complex decisions regarding delegation and management of care (Badzek,
The American Nurses association defines delegation as, ‘The transfer of responsibility for the performance of a task from one individual to another while retaining accountability for the outcome’ (Saccomano, 2010, p. 523). When delegating to staff or members of your team, it is important that it is used appropriately and within the proper guidelines. It is common to see RNs delegating in the hospital setting to the LVN or nursing assistant, however, the RN must know the limitations and what is within their scope of practice. Unfortunately, even if the nurse uses these guidelines, conflict can still occur with other staff making the process more difficult. Having the responsibility to delegate, especially as a new registered nurse, can be daunting,
ANA describes “The Scope of Nursing Practice (as) the “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” and “how’ (8).’ In other words, it is the responsibility of the nurse to know who their patient is, what the patient’s diagnosis and treatment are, where it is they will be delivering treatment, the rationale behind their actions, and how they will deliver the care. By following the scope of practice, nurses reduce avoidable errors and are aware of the liability their actions entail. The ANA also puts forth a nursing process to guide nurses in treatment. The constantly evolving process is currently assessment, diagnosis, identification of outcomes, planning, implementation, and evaluation (ANA 9). Though this method has dramatically improved nursing care, it may be necessary to repeat steps to adapt to a patient’s changing needs and pathologies. By following guidelines set by the ANA, nurses are able to better connect with their patients and instill the image of professionalism to the public while also optimizing safety
Communication in the nursing practice and in healthcare is important because when talking with patients, their families, and staff, the nurse and the nursing student needs to be able to efficiently express the information that they want the other person to understand. “Verbal communication is a primary way of transmitting vital information concerning patient issues in hospital settings” (Raica, 2009, para. 1). When proper communication skills are lacking in nursing practice, the chances of errors and risks to the patient’s safety increases. One crucial aspect of communication that affects the patient care outcome is how the nurse and the nursing student interacts and communicates with the physicians and other staff members. If the nurse is not clear and concise when relaying patient information to other members of the healthcare team the patient care may be below the expected quality.
There are many members of the inter-professional team, all of which are contributing to the healthcare of acute and critically ill patients. Every member of the team has had education and obtained a license of practice compatible to their level of knowledge (Prater, Fundamentals of Nursing, 2013). As a practical nurse you need to be mindful of your scope of practice in relation to registered nurses, certified nurses’ assistants and other healthcare professionals. With so many different people involved in the immediate care of a patient, there is always the possibility of a mix up. The purpose of this paper is to help differentiate between the roles of the healthcare staff, which will in turn help develop a knowledge base for prioritizing care;
Nurses are an equally important part of each client’s life. Nurses provide stable care to each client, answers their questions, gives medications and treatments, and assists with medical procedures. They also have the responsibility to explain to clients and family members what they should and should not do as they go through treatment and recovery. Nurses must quickly respond to patients needs. Every individual nurse has his or her own unique way of caring. There are so many ways to show caring that the possibilities are never ending. Nurse’s support, comfort, and help allow the patients to recover to the best of their ability. Their experiences in dealing with different patients that have unique situations on a daily basis helps the nurses become better caregivers. Therefore, every nurse is capable of demonstrating care in their respective environments.
Nurses play a critical role on patient’s health; the relationship that a nurse and patient develop can in some cases be life altering. Applying these characteristics and being a servant leader to patients establishes life long impressions and makes critical difference in treatment allowing for optimal care to be received. Always listen to patients concerns, be empathetic in their concerns, and help while committing to their personal growth, one never knows whom they are actually a leader for. Some individuals look up to nurses and count