Delegation
According to the official document adopted by Florida Board of Nursing, Registered Nurses (RNs) may apply the delegation to ensure high-quality health care services and positive health outcomes (“Nurse Practice Act,” 2007). The delegation may be addressed to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) in combination with supervision, education, and training. While licensed nurses delegate some options to UAP, it is essential to establish two-way communication to achieve a comprehensive care and teamwork.
The delegation of tasks and activities is to be based on nursing judgment of a delegator, who is responsible for preventing any harm to patients and avoiding any nursing errors. It is expected that a delegator would establish proper limits to activities that may be delegated to UAP as well as determine the suitability of certain tasks to be performed by unlicensed staff.
Comparing Florida’s Nurse Practice Act with the joint statement of American Nurses Association (ANA) and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) on delegation, it is possible to note that they differ in some terms, yet quite similar in the main provisions. For example, both of the mentioned documents allow licensed nurses to delegate to unlicensed staff, so that patients may receive adequate and timely assistance. Another similar point concerns responsibility of a delegator and suitability of tasks.
However, the joint statement by ANA and NCSBN seems to be much more complete and detailed, since it assigns a top priority to the Five Rights of Delegation and specifies delegation resources (“Joint statement,” 2005). Delegation improves patient outcomes by providing the opportunity to establish communication between them and caregivers, perform complex therapies in a timely manner, and ensure safety and a high quality.
The Value of Membership in Nursing Organizations
ANA presents great opportunities and benefits for its members. Being one of the largest nursing organizations in the US, it integrates plenty of resources and professionals. The membership in the mentioned organization is available online and offline that makes it easier and much more comfortable for nurses to collaborate regarding common interests and explore various health issues. Among the key professional tools offered by ANA, one may note access to PubMed, Global Disease Alert Map, Drug Name Error Finder Tool, and CINAHL (“ANA personal benefits,” 2017).
Such a wide variety of resources allows nurses to receive new degrees and develop both personally and professionally. A range of toolkits and fact sheets may be useful for nurses to establish proper collaboration with their patients and colleagues. More to the point, ANA offers assistance with professional liability and long-term care insurance, financial planning, and student loan solutions.
It should be stressed that ANA is driven by nurses and created for nursing advancement that makes it the organization, which clearly understands nurses’ needs, expectations, and intentions. Specifically, ANA strives to assist in education by providing conferences, certification, and annual conventions (“ANA personal benefits,” 2017).
Pursuing continuous development, the organization provides its members with the most relevant health care concerns, thus contributing to competence of nurses in terms of rapidly changing environment. In other words, ANA helps nurses in their role transition with a new degree. Further career assistance is also an option valued by the given organization and proposed as part of its mission and membership. Offering knowledge base, ANA presents a platform for thoughtful discussions and teamwork to foster health care improvement and the best professional aid possible.
References
ANA personal benefits. (2017).
Joint statement on delegation: American Nurses Association (ANA) and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). (2005). Web.
Nurse Practice Act: Chapter 464 Florida Statutes. (2007). Web.