RN to NAP Delegation
Nurses' attitudes and preparedness toward delegation to Nursing Assistant Personnel.
*Pilot Study Concluded*
Our research goals have been met! Thank you to all who assisted in this revolutionary approach to tackling the ever-persistent issue of nursing stress. - ANA\California Team
Summary
Nursing stress is one of the most common reasons nurses leave the workforce. Identifying the sources of the ever-present problem of nursing stress has led ANA\California member, Calah Hardin, BSN, PHN, RN, to launch this pilot study to investigate and highlight the well-known but underutilized resource, the Nursing Assistant Personnel (NAP).
This pilot study offers (1) free CEU-credited educational video workshop intervention with a short pre- and post-survey aimed at identifying the attitudes and preparedness of acute care nurses in California and how this translates into their delegations skills to NAPs.
Inclusion criteria apply. Applicants must:
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Currently be working in California
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Be an Acute Care RN
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On a unit that works with NAPs
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On a unit w/ staffing ratios 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, 1:6, or 1:8.
Click "Join This Pilot Study" to see other inclusion criteria and to learn more.
Goal
Empower nurses to offload appropriate tasks through proper delegation practices which can reduce the known factors that lead to nursing stress and less optimal patient outcomes.
How is delegation the problem?
Acute care nurses struggle to delegate even though it is an integral and daily part of their job. Utilizing nursing assistant personnel (NAP) may be a solution.
Watch the teaser video below to learn more.
Did you know?
49%
of RNs have never had formal delegation training from their employers.
Gravlin & Bittner, 2010
82%
of RNs reported that they are at a "significant level of risk for workplace stress."
ANA, 2017
17%
of RNs report feelings of burnout within their first year of employment.
Chan & Orlowski, 2020
Annie Tat, MSN, RN, RN-BC
ANA\California Member
"I was recently honored to receive a 2021 Daisy Award for a patient I helped transition to end-of-life care. However, I know this award would not have been possible without delegation and teamwork.
Through the months the patient stayed on our unit, it was our teamwork that provided holistic care. If the primary shift nurse for the day didn't have time to walk to the burn unit to make her a burn shake, another nurse or front desk staff would volunteer. When she was actively dying on my last shift, my charge nurse took care of the decease packet so I can focus my emotional energy on the patient and her husband.
Without delegation and teamwork, nurses would face moral distress more often and would find our profession to be less fulfilling."
Dr. Chris Tarver, DNP, RN, CNS, NEA-BC
ANA\C Nursing Practice Director
Delegation in healthcare today is more than relevant, it is key to successful care of the patients, families, communities, and populations. We need every member of the healthcare team to practice at top of license or top of skill set in order to deliver exquisite care.
Brooke Newman, MSN, RN
Nursing Management for Neonatal ICU
Poor delegation is cyclical in nature. Without this skillset, interprofessional challenges occur which affect patient care due to the restrictions on abilities and resources to function effectively. This depletes personal confidence and obstructs perception of the workload, which then cycles back to hinder the ways in which we communicate collaboratively.
Laura M. Chechel MSN RN CNS CCRN-CSC-CMC
Nurse Manager Cardiovascular ICU
Nursing is a complex profession that blends components of science and human connection. Nurses are extraordinarily skilled at both but cannot perform the fundamental tasks required of their role without delegation.
About Calah Hardin
Calah Hardin is a BSN-prepared RN currently in the throes of a dual MSN-DNP AG ACNP program. Her past experiences in cardiac and stroke units, wound care, and nursing management have brought her here, where she said she'd have the honor to be collaborating with ANA\California and researching novel ways to support the nursing workforce.