Delegated To The NAP (PCT)

The RN is the one who is primarily responsible for determining what tasks can legally be delegated to the NAP or PCTs. The nurse needs to be able to determine if the task can be delegated and if the person performing the task is competent to do so. In the end, the nurse should evaluate the outcome of the task that was delegated. Most areas of Regional Hospital have tasks that are typically always delegated to the PCTs, such as vital signs, hygiene cares, and ambulating. The PCT’s on the CIU also measure intake and output for each shift, however, the nurse always documents the intake and output. The PCTs are required to document vital signs that were performed by them, and they also document activity and hygiene each shift. There are certain
For example, if I had a patient whose blood pressure was high and I was still working on assessments or medications, I would ask the nursing assistive personnel if they could recheck that blood pressure in 15 minutes. The NAP would then check the blood pressure and report back to me the findings. This helped me save time and not have to leave the patient who I was assessing in that moment. During the night shift, we either have one or two available PCTs on the floor. If I was getting behind on tasks, I would ask the PCT if they could get a couple of my midnight or four o’clock vital signs and they would agree to do so. Since the task of delegating is not used very often in nursing school, I felt the best way to decide what could be delegated was by continuing the regular hospital routines and sticking primarily with those common tasks. For instance, blood glucose monitoring, vital signs, and hygiene. When I carried out delegation, I would talk to the PCT about what task I was delegating and what time I needed the task done. The PCT typically let me know what the findings were from the vital signs and blood glucose checks after performing them, which is a very important step in the delegation
Some shifts when I stayed busy all night, I found this to be more of an issue for me. For example, a couple times I started the shift off with only a couple patients and during the middle of the night we had admits from either the Rapid Admissions Unit or the Emergency Department come up to fill our rooms. Depending on the time, we would have vital signs for all of our patients at midnight and four in the morning. We would also have 0300 glucose checks in between those times as well. If I didn’t have a nursing assistive personnel and was working on one of my new patient admits, I would prioritize my cares to ensure I got to every patient in a timely manner. I think the best thing to do in overcoming this is to appreciate when you do have the help, but then realize that even if you do not have an aide there to help you, it is still the nurses responsibility to ensure that tasks get done on time. However, I did find that the nurses on CIU are very helpful and they always asked if I needed anything or if they could do anything for me. The charge nurse was also very helpful to the staff and I think they would be a great resource if I needed the