Last year, the Administration SIG produced four Manager Resources on topics of interest to nurse managers. Conflict resolution, delegation, effective performance evaluations, and knowing what resources are available to nephrology professionals are all topics that each manager can use on a regular basis. This is an overview of how this information can be used in your daily practice.

Conflict Resolution Resource
How many times a day do you address some type of conflict? Conflict between two staff members, a dispute between a patient and a staff member, a misunderstanding between a staff member and his/her supervisor — all are conflicts that you may encounter everyday. Some conflicts are easy to resolve by just clearing up the misunderstanding, while others may require more time and effort and a “meeting of the minds” to resolve the issue. The guide leads you through a non–confrontational approach to manage that session.

Delegation Tree Resource
The decision tree presented in the Delegation Tree Resource provides specific steps in deciding if a task can be delegated and to whom it may be delegated. At each step along the tree, the nurse needs to ask a question regarding the task. If the answer is yes, then one can proceed to the next question. If not, then either education is required, or the task cannot be delegated. Nurses must know the details of their state Nurse Practice Acts, and what they can and cannot delegate in order to ensure that they are not delegating a task that is not allowed by state law or regulation. A good example of this is a recent change in the New York State (NYS) regulations regarding the ability of Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) accessing central venous catheters (CVCs) for hemodialysis (New York State Department of Health, 2006). The change in the regulation that took place on October 1, 2006, specifically states that an LPN may not access a newly placed catheter and that an LPN is only allowed to access CVCs in the chronic hemodialysis outpatient setting. For many years , there was only a vague reference that LPNs were allowed to access CVCs for hemodialysis. LPNs were trained to access catheters for hemodialysis and staffing models were based around this understanding. This change in, what had been, a very ambiguous area in the LPN scope of practice, is now more clearly articulated. The change provides very clear instructions on how and under what circumstances, CVCs can be accessed by LPNs and the RNs’ responsibility in delegating this task. Failure of an RN to comply with this change in regulation could result in loss of the RN’s license.

Effective Performance Evaluations Resource
Performance reviews may be one of the biggest challenges for managers. The ease of writing a review is, in part, a function of the evaluation form the organization uses. Some evaluation forms are very general, leaving much room for interpretation. Others are very specific and require so much detail that they become very difficult to write. This guide offers pointers on how to make any review, no matter what form is used, an effective way of communicating to the employees how they are performing in their roles. It provides the manager with guidelines for what should be included in a review, keeping notes throughout the year (good and bad), how to present the review to the employee, and legal issues to consider. This was developed based on information presented at one of the Administration SIG’s networking sessions at the ANNA National Symposium in 2005 in Las Vegas.

Organizational Directory Resource
This resource is a listing of organizations and regulatory departments that have an impact, in some way, on nephrology practice. Organizations that regulate our practice, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Joint Commission on Accreditation for Health Care Organizations (JCAHO), are listed. Associations that represent the variety of people who either work in the nephrology field or are affected by chronic kidney disease, for example, the American Nephrology Nurses’ Association (ANNA), the National Renal Administrators Association (NRAA), and the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), are also identified. An organization such as the Academy of Architecture for Health (AIA), which provides building codes and standards for health care facilities, is also listed as a reference. The Organization Resource List provides a description of the purpose of the entity and its website.