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Who You’ll Hear
Kati Kleber, MSN RN – Nurse educator, former cardiac med-surg/stepdown and neurocritical care nurse, author, and speaker.
Elizabeth Mills, BSN RN CCRN – highly experienced neurocritical care nurse, current Stroke Navigator for a Primary Stroke Center
Crucial Delegation Reminders for Nurses
- There is a difference between assertiveness and rudeness
- Some CNA’s get bossed around by nurses who do not appreciate them – and that really sucks
- Nursing is a TEAM sport
- If you’re able to work as a CNA in school it will help you understand delegation better
What to Observe Prior to Delegating
- How communication flows on the unit
- How do nurses speak when delegating, how do CNA’s respond?
- Who do you want to emulate? Who do you NOT want to emulate?
- How do you believe the nurses who delegate well got to that point?
How to Build Rapport With CNAs
- Putting in time to get to know CNA is so incredibly important
- Not only do you need to develop trust in them, they need to develop trust in you
- We must build trust. We must establish a relationship. This is how you not only get people to work with you, you get people to work well with you.
Value the Expertise and Time of the CNA
- Don’t just dump tasks on people, be considerate of other’s time
- Even if you’re an RN, you’re not above a giving a bath or doing a task they technically can do
- They have their own expertise
- They have their own time management
- Larger amount of patients, but not as in-depth
- Working with and balancing multiple nurses
- Be respectful of their time
- If the patient has to go to the bathroom and you’re in the room, take them. Don’t leave the room to find the CNA to walk the patient to the bathroom (unless you have something you really have to do is waiting)
- Express gratitude for helpful CNA’s
- An observant, helpful, time-conscious CNA is worth their weight in gold
- When delegating, you must ensure the task is completed appropriately, as you still retain some responsibility
Communication Between RNs and CNAs
- Don’t just say room numbers, say patient names and room numbers
- Follow up on delegated tasks; it is your responsibility
- If your level of urgency changes, communicate that – not everyone can sense your new-found level of urgency
- Make friends with your CNA’s, but don’t cross the line where when you’re delegating, they think of it like a favor or an option not to complete the necessary tasks
More Resources for New Med-Surg Nurses
- Delegation Tips for Nurses – FreshRN Blog
- Anatomy of a Super Nurse: The Ultimate Guide to Becoming Nursey See chapter 6
- Developing Delegation Skills – American Nurses Association
- Major Differences Between ER Nurses and Floor Nurses
- What Do Med-Surg Nurses Do?
- Nursing Time Management Tips
- Code Blue! Surviving Your First Code Blue or RRT
- Nursing Report Basics For Med-Surg Nurses – a free mini course that includes my fav med-surg report sheet and my top abbreviations I would use when taking report!
Are you a new Med-Surg nurse?
Med-Surg Mindset from FreshRN is the ultimate resource for nurses new to this complex and dynamic acute care nursing specialty. Whether you are fresh out of nursing school or an experienced nurse starting out in med-surg for the first time, the learning curve is steep. With input from three experienced bedside nurses, this comprehensive course is all you need to learn all of the unspoken and must-know information to become a safe, confident, and successful medical-surgical nurse.
