1 Practice Assignments and Delegation Free Online FlashCards

What is a nursing assignment?

An assignment allocates care or tasks that are already within the recipient’s authorized role or routine responsibilities.

Does delegation transfer the nurse’s judgment or accountability?

Delegation does not transfer nursing judgment. The nurse remains accountable for the delegation decision and appropriate oversight and evaluation.

What is the recipient responsible for after accepting a delegated activity?

The recipient is responsible for performing the accepted activity correctly, communicating concerns, and documenting as required.

What rules govern which activities may be delegated?

Legal definitions and permitted tasks vary by state and setting. Follow the applicable nurse practice act, regulations, and employer policy.

What should the nurse check about scope and authority before delegating?

Confirm the activity is allowed by law, the recipient’s role, and organizational policy, and that the nurse has authority to delegate it.

Which activities should not be delegated to assistive personnel?

Do not delegate activities requiring assessment, clinical reasoning, nursing judgment, care planning, or evaluation to assistive personnel.

What are the five rights of delegation?

The five rights are right task, right circumstance, right person, right direction and communication, and right supervision and evaluation.

What should effective delegation instructions include?

Give clear, patient-specific instructions, limits, expected results, and reporting requirements. Confirm the recipient understands and accepts the task.

In a stable patient, what may a trained worker do with routine vital signs?

A nurse may delegate routine vital-sign collection for a stable patient to a trained worker, with instructions to report specified results promptly. The nurse interprets the findings and reassesses the patient.

When should a nurse reassess after delegating an activity?

Reassess if the patient’s condition changes, instructions are misunderstood, or the recipient reports difficulty. Unexpected findings may require immediate reassessment.

What is nursing delegation?

Delegation is a nurse’s decision, where law permits, to authorize another qualified person to perform a specific nursing activity.

What patient and circumstance factors support safe delegation?

Delegation is safer when the patient’s condition is sufficiently stable and predictable, and the risks, setting, equipment, and resources are appropriate.