O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | M A R C H
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e have all heard it before: The key to effective manage-
ment is delegation. But, if you're like me, sometimes it's
hard to let go. What if the ball gets dropped? The problem
is that either we can't get it all done well, or, worse, we trust it's get-
ting done and it's not. If we take a team approach to all
those jobs and documents we need to maintain, where
each team member has clearly assigned roles, docu-
ments her activities and reports at monthly sched-
uled facility meetings, delegation may just work.
Here are some "hats" you may want to put on key
staff members.
• Safety officer. A cautious, rule-following staff
member will shine wearing this hat. She can do facil-
ity walk-throughs, complete a safety checklist, keep
your OSHA injury logs updated, maintain your
Exposure Control Plan and test your eye wash station.
Let her coordinate with your hazardous waste
company. She can even shop for a "safer sharps"
product for annual evaluation and make sure
your spill kit is maintained.
• Emergency preparation nurse. You probably
already know who wears this hat. She's
already checking the crash cart supplies and
equipment. Formalize her responsibilities to
include reviews of emergency policies and
forms, emergency training, coordinating drills,
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Delegating
Those
Non-Patient
Care
Tasks
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z LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD Heavy
lies the head of the facility man-
ager who tries to do it all herself.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN
