Teaching Delegation to RN Students

Registered nurse (RN) students have difficulty learning delegation and supervision, and new RNs lack confidence in executing these skills. To improve safety, therefore, RN educators require new teaching and learning strategies to help prelicensure students develop delegation and supervision skills. Our team of nurse educators and researchers developed, implemented, and evaluated a classroom learning activity on delegation and supervision for RN students. The activity, which is grounded in David Kolb's (1983) experiential learning theory, was developed from a research study on delegation and supervision in nursing homes. Drawing on the research data, we constructed robust case studies that authentically illustrate the nursing home practice environment, including the realistic impediments to best practice. Students in our Accelerated Bachelor of Nursing program found the learning activity beneficial to their understanding of and readiness to engage in delegation and supervision.