New Zealand nurses’ storied experiences of direction and delegation

Abstract
Direction and delegation is a professional competency required of all New Zealand nurses and all nurses must attest to understanding direction and delegation when they apply for their annual practising certificate. However, the literature on how New Zealand nurses manage this professional obligation is silent. The purpose of this study was to explore nurses’ perceptions about their everyday direction and delegation interactions using a narrative inquiry approach. Registered and enrolled nurses who held a practising certificate, employed in Canterbury, and registered with the Nursing Council of New Zealand, were invited to participate in this research. A purposive sample of 19 enrolled and 17 registered nurses were interviewed using a semistructured interview that encouraged them to share their direction and delegation stories. The findings revealed that working in a team differs to working as a team, and that both are needed; that communicating well and communicating professionally are vital to the success or not of the delegation interaction; and that nurses need to form a delegation relationship rather than provide a set of instructions if direction and delegation is to be safe and effective. The ability to meet this professional obligation requires skill and knowledge, and more workplace relevant information from nurses in leadership roles to support ‘good’ direction and delegation interactions. This research study, presented as eight narratives, provides the unique and individual perspectives related to direction, delegation and accountability relevant to New Zealand nurses in clinical workplaces, education, policy development and leadership and management roles.

He whakarāpopototanga
He mea tino nui te tohutohu me te toha mahi, he pūkenga ngaio e hiahiatia ana e ngā tapuhi o Aotearoa, ā, me whakaū ngā tapuhi katoa e mārama ana ki te tohutohu me te toha mahi ina tono mō ā rātou tiwhikete mahi ā-tau. Ahakoa, kei te wahangū ngā tuhinga mō te āhua o te whakahaere a ngā tapuhi o Aotearoa i tēnei āhua. Te whāinga o tēnei rangahau he tūhura i ngā kitenga a ngā tapuhi mō tō rātou ahunga o ia rā me ngā tauwhitinga tohanga mā te whakamahi i tikanga tūhura pūrākau. I pōwhiritia ngā tapuhi rēhita, rōra hoki e pupuri ana i tētahi tiwhikete mahi, e mahi ana i Waitaha, e rēhitatia ana i te Kaunihera Tapuhi o Aotearoa, kia whai wāhi ki tēnei rangahau. I uia tētahi kāhui aronui o ētahi tapuhi rōra 19, me ētahi tapuhi rēhita 17 e whakamahi ana i tētahi uiuinga āhua rangatōpū i whakatenatenatia ai rātou kia tiri i ā rātou pūrākau ahunga, tohanga hoki. Ko te hua o ngā kitenga; he rerekē te mahi i roto i tētahi tīma i te mahi ā-tīma; he mea hira te whakawhitiwhiti kōrero tika, ā-ngaio hoki ki te pai o te tauwhitinga tohanga, te kore rānei e pai; ā, he mea nui kia noho he hononga toha mahi takatika i waenga i ngā tapuhi, kei noho ka hora noa iho tētahi huinga tohutohu, ki te hiahiatia he tohutohu, he tohanga takatika, whai hua hoki. E hiahiatia ana he pūkenga, he mōhiotanga nui mō te āhei kia tutuki tēnei herenga ngaio, me ētahi mōhiotanga hāngai ki te wāhi mai, mai i ngā tapuhi ārahi hei tautoko i te ahunga 'pai' me ngā tauwhitinga tohanga. Ka hora tēnei tirohanga rangahau, e tohaina nei i roto i ngā pūrākau, e hora ana i ngā tirohanga ahurei, takitahi hoki e pā ana ki te ahunga, te tohanga me te whāinga here ki ngā tapuhi o Aotearoa i roto i ngā wāhi mahi ā-tūroro, mātauranga,
whanaketanga kaupapa here, me te hautū tikanga i roto i ngā tūranga whakahaere.

Key words/ Ngā kupu matua
Direction/ Te tohutohu, delegation/ te tohanga, teamwork/ te mahi ā-tīma, enrolled nurse/ tapuhi rōra, registered nurse/ tapuhi rēhita