Nursing Prioritization Delegation Assignment Q 13
You are assigned to provide nursing care for a patient receiving mechanical ventilation. Which action should you delegate to an experienced nursing assistant?
A. Assessing the patient's respiratory status every 4 hours
B. Taking vital signs and pulse oximetry readings every 4 hours
C. Checking the ventilator settings to make sure they are as prescribed
D. Observing whether the patient's tube needs suctioning every 2 hours
Correct Answer: B. Taking vital signs and pulse oximetry readings every 4 hours
The nursing assistant’s educational preparation includes measurement of vital signs, and an experienced nursing assistant would know how to check oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry. The staff members’ levels of education, knowledge, past experiences, skills, abilities, and competencies are also evaluated and matched with the needs of all of the patients in the group of patients that will be cared for.
Option A: Delegation should be done according to the differentiated practice for each of the staff members. Some needs require high levels of professional judgment and skill; and other patient needs are somewhat routine and without the need for high levels of professional judgment and skill.
Option C: Assessing and observing the patient, as well as checking ventilator settings, require the additional education and skills of the RN. The scope of practice for the registered nurse will most likely include the legal ability of the registered professional nurse to perform all phases of the nursing process including assessment, nursing diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation.
Option D: Among the tasks that cannot be legally and appropriately delegated to nonprofessional, unlicensed assistive nursing personnel, such as nursing assistants, patient care technicians, and personal care aides, include assessments, nursing diagnosis, establishing expected outcomes, evaluating care and any and all other tasks and aspects of care including but not limited to those that entail sterile technique, critical thinking, professional judgment and professional knowledge.