Christina Rafano explains nursing delegation using AAR: Authority (the RN's legal right to delegate), Accountability (shared, with the RN ultimately responsible), and Responsibility (the delegatee must perform tasks correctly). Know these three rules before you delegate.
Let me give you the key components of effective delegation, and I actually have a memory trick to help you remember this. You can think AAR authority, Accountability, and responsibility. So authority. The delegating RN must possess the legal right and the responsibility to delegate. You can't just delegate anything to anyone. You have to have the legal authority to do it. And then accountability. Both the delegating nurse and the delegatee are accountable for the task. The RN is ultimately responsible for that overall outcome. So you're both accountable in some ways. But the RN has the ultimate responsibility, and then we have responsibility. The delegatee is responsible for performing that task correctly, so they have to do their part right as well. So remember, AAR authority, accountability, and responsibility.
