Delegation is a very important process in nursing. Delegation can make a day run smoothly and the absence of it can make everyone behind trying to get the basics done. True delegation takes skill and much critical thinking and that's why the majority of people have to learn how to delegate effectively. Throughout clinical our preceptors delegate to us nursing students what they feel is important to learn and will help develop our nursing skills optimally. Throughout my practicum delegation will be an important process that will be invaluable to my nursing career. .
I've just completed my first week of practicum and my preceptor has already delegated patient care to me. My first experience of delegation within in my practicum included the medication administration and charting for a patient with anginal attacks. My preceptor tasked me to administer nitroglycerin sublingual and monitor the patient for progress. When the patient first arrived, she described her chest pain as 8/10. My patient said that she has nitroglyerin at home, but felt she needed to get to the hospital. She seemed very anxious and talkative about her stressors at home. She came to the ER because she felt that "something very bad was going to happen if I didn't come in." She was very cooperative and helpful when asked questions. .
I believe my preceptor was appropriate in delegating the patient care to me. He was in the room when I was administering the medication and assessing the patient. The patient was very cooperative and didn't mind that I, a student nurse would be doing her care. I discussed with the patient that I've administered this medication before and described in a clear concise manner of what the process entails. In accordance to the five rights of delegation (right task, right circumstances, right person, right direction/communication, right supervision) the delegated care was appropriate.
