Delegation competencies. Beginning practitioners' reflections

Workplace realities require nurses to delegate an increasing number of nursing tasks. How well are nurses prepared for this skill? Using a focus group format, the authors explore how recently graduated baccalaureate nurses feel about the delegation experience from their perspective as practicing nurses. The responses of the graduates indicate that delegation skills are learned by trial and error in the workplace, rather than through planned educational opportunities. They reported that inadequate education was the single most important hindrance in their becoming skillful delegators. Pertinent considerations for educators are discussed.