What it means
A core professional duty. A nurse is accountable to the client, the employer, the board of nursing and the profession for practicing within their scope and standards. When a nurse delegates a task, the person doing it is responsible for doing it correctly, but the nurse stays accountable for the decision to delegate and for checking the result.
For the nurse
Accountability includes reporting your own errors, asking for help when a task is outside your skill, and following up on the work you delegate.
At a glance
| Spanish | responsabilidad, rendición de cuentas |
|---|---|
| Also written | accountable |
Related terms
advocate
To speak up and act for a client's rights, safety and wishes; also, a person who does this.
assign
To give a staff member the care of a client, or tasks that are already part of that person's usual job and allowed by their license.
delegate
To hand a specific nursing task to another trained person while the nurse stays responsible for the client.
supervise
To guide, watch over and check the work of another staff member who is doing a task.