Melanie Duffy

Shirley Fields McCoy

Do you know what work you can, or should, delegate? What tasks can you assign to patient care assistants (PCA), or to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP)? Can licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) delegate responsibilities?
Since the final professional decision to proceed with delegation to UAPs ultimately rests with the RN, you need to be vigilant and understand the proper delegation process.
Delegation and You, the latest YOU! series publication, provides an explanation of principles and relevant strategies for practice in situations in which RNs delegate tasks to UAPs. Written by two experienced nurses who served as educators, mentors and preceptors in many practice settings, this is a handy guide to the essentials of delegation and related decision-making. It includes the following:
• The six criteria that every nurse must consider before delegating
• An easy-to-follow illustrated example of “A Decision Tree for Delegation” just for nurses
• The 11 essential principles of delegation
• A criteria-based process model of critical thinking skills to assist with delegation decisions
• The key barriers to delegation and how to overcome them
Delegation and You is for all clinical nurses, nurse managers and other RNs who lead care teams and delegate activities or tasks.

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