Tips on delegating

[fordgrl76]

I am going to be graduating nursing school in 2 weeks, hopefully starting a new job on the med-surg floor soon after (I’m supposed to hear this week). I have a question regarding delegation. This seems to be an area where I, as a student, have struggled. There are two issues. The first is that as a student, I often have a hard time delegating tasks to CNAs that I know I am perfectly capable of performing. The second thing is that I tend to be a bit of a control freak and perfectionist. I know that delegating tasks is critical in nursing, however, I have a hard time giving up responsibility for things that are important, like vital signs and blood sugars. I’ve witnessed several incidents where the CNAs forgot to get vitals or blood sugars on time.
My question is, how do I learn to let go of that control freak aspect and channel that into good delegation skills? And how do I transition from delegating as a student to an RN?
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[cougarnurse]

Welcome to the site, Fordgrl! Glad to have you with us.

Hmmm, good old deligation. I understand where you are coming from. If they are routine/patient has been there a day or two, stable, I would give the CNA's a time frame as to when you need the VS/BGM's, etc. Ex: 'I need room 201's BGM by 4:30 PM. If something should come up where you are not able to get it, could you please let me know? Thank you!'

Of course, if the patient is unstable....enough said.