Navigating Barriers to Delegation for New Nurses in Healthcare Settings
Gaining the experience necessary to assume authority takes time, so do not beat yourself up in the first few months! Research shows that there are barriers to being able to delegate in the world of nursing. I am going to list some of the barriers here.
Delegation
1. Being a perfectionist and expecting the job to be done perfectly. Some people think differently than you!
2. Fear of criticism: You are waiting for the person who received the delegation to push back with a better way to delegate the work. Or maybe you are fearful another nurse will tell everyone she has a better, fairer way.
3. Fear of the lack of authority: If you started in healthcare as a CNA, moved up the ranks to LPN, then RN - all while remaining on the same unit; you may fear staff still views you as the person they saw when you started.
4. Fear of having to do the work later when the delegatee did not complete the work.
5. Lack of manager experience.
6. Lack of confidence in the delegate.
Nurse delegation
All of these barriers can set a new nurse up for failure. So, what can a new nurse do to help avoid these and other pitfalls?
Remember what we did in school when we met new schoolmates? We treat them like we want to be treated - with respect. The same way we treat our coworkers who are equal to us. We help out when we can, and do as much as we can to make their day good. You can get water or a blanket just as quickly as the CNA. Never leave them to do something you could have done yourself.
When I was the DON of a nursing facility, I ended up doing nights a lot of the time due to call-ins or weather. I would do my work as I helped others do their work. So, for bed checks every two hours, I would take my med cart along, give meds to those who needed them, and then help turn and change beds as required. I never got feedback about not wanting to do something when I asked. They knew I was busy doing my job. We even passed ice water this way early in the shift.
The fear of having to do the work later disappears if you are in the room helping and doing your work simultaneously. You can help if you see it needs a more significant intervention. Regarding managerial experience, even after years of nursing practice, I need guidance on specific organizational tasks; such as how to do some administrative things. I can't tell you how much my assistant leads me every week. So grab an older nurse and say, “I need to learn. Can you show me how to do this as a manager?” If that more senior nurse is like me, they are just waiting for a young nurse to ask them. You might even make a friend and accomplice.
Comment below!
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