Management of Care Q 28

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You are pulled from the ED to the neurologic floor. Which action should you delegate to the nursing assistant when providing nursing care for a patient with SCI?

  

     A. Assess the patient's respiratory status every 4 hours.

     B. Take the patient’s vital signs and record them every 4 hours.

     C. Monitor nutritional status including calorie counts.

     D. Have the patient turn, cough, and deep breathe every 3 hours.

    

    

Correct Answer: B. Take the patient’s vital signs and record them every 4 hours.

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The nursing assistant’s training and education include taking and recording the patient’s vital signs.

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Option A: Assessing the patient’s respiratory status would require the knowledge of a registered nurse.

Option C: Monitoring patients requires additional education and is appropriate for the scope of practice for professional nurses.

Option D: The nursing assistant may assist with turning and repositioning the patient and may remind the patient to cough and deep breathe but does not teach the patient how to perform these actions.

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