Which of the following task is appropriate for the nurse to delegate to an experienced nursing assistant?

Nurses often operate in high-pressure environments that require them to prioritize tasks and make quick decisions. This is partially due to the nature of the work, but is also affected by the current need for more skilled workers in the nursing profession. Unfortunately, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the nursing shortage in the U.S. is expected to worsen, putting even more pressure on RNs.

Although the larger issue cannot be solved by a single institution, making the investment to develop delegation skills at the individual level can help ease the burden on nurses and improve the patient experience at the same time. Understanding which tasks can be delegated to LPNs or nursing assistants can help reduce stress, improve efficiency, and allow nurses to focus on the most important duties. Because nurses are accountable for the safety and comfort of patients, delegating effectively is critical.

The Importance of Delegation Skills in Nursing

The patient experience should always come first, and nurses play a major role in ensuring that their patients get quality care. Nurses must also balance this with more administrative requirements, ever increasing staffing issues, and other competing priorities.

In many cases, nurses are responsible for tasks that others could do just as, if not more, effectively. Handing off those tasks to other qualified professionals frees up valuable time for nurses to focus on the core work for which they are best suited. Delegation also enables assistive caregivers to positively contribute to patient outcomes while lowering costs for employers.

How to Improve Delegation Skills

The healthcare industry has unique requirements when it comes to delegation, so it’s important to understand what can and cannot be delegated. For example, there are legal considerations to take into account. Nurses must know which activities the state regulations allow LPNs and unlicensed professionals to perform. These employees must also understand the limitations of their roles.

Once you know which tasks are appropriate to delegate, nurses can become that much more effective by honing their delegation skills, thereby “multiplying” themselves in a short-staffed world. Things they can do include:

  • Learning how to set and communicate clear goals to team members
  • Defining the scope for assistants who are performing delegated tasks
  • Taking personal accountability for the outcomes to which they committed
  • Learning how to coach employees as they learn new tasks
  • Understanding how to recognize the potential in employees

Learning how to delegate takes practice. It’s not as simple as just telling an employee to complete a certain task and expecting it to be done right the first time. You must be patient; help employees learn which tasks are appropriate to hand over, identify the best person for the job, clearly communicate the goal, and provide the necessary support to help them succeed.

How to Teach Delegation to Nurses

Because of the nature of the work, there is little room for error when nurses delegate. Nurses can’t test new skills on the job and evaluate the outcomes because if anything goes wrong, it can mean life or death. They have to use proven techniques that they have practiced and tested in a safe environment that does not impact the patient. For these reasons, experiential learning is an excellent approach for teaching delegation to nurses and other healthcare professionals. Experiential learning creates an immersive environment for participants to learn new concepts, practice new behaviors, and adapt them to produce the desired outcomes. Trainees leave with confidence that the skills they just learned will work in real life because they just experienced success in a parallel scenario.

When effective delegation skills are used in a healthcare setting, patients, nurses, and employers will benefit. These skills can be taught and sharpened over time to improve efficiency while ensuring patients receive the best possible care. Consider training opportunities for teaching delegation skills so nurses can practice them in a safe environment before confidently deploying them in a healthcare setting.

Delegation NCLEX questions for nursing.

Delegation is a topic found on the NCLEX exam, and it’s a skill the registered nurse must learn to do on the job. Therefore, the RN must be aware of what can and can NOT be delegated to an LPN/LVN or UAP (nursing assistants etc.).

Which of the following task is appropriate for the nurse to delegate to an experienced nursing assistant?

This quiz on nursing delegation will test your ability to determine what tasks can be delegated to other members of the nursing team. Don’t forget to check out the NCLEX review quizzes too!

Don’t forget to watch the lecture on nursing delegation before taking the quiz!

Delegation Nursing NCLEX Questions

These delegation nursing questions will prepare you for the NCLEX exam.

  • 1. You’re making the patient assignments for the next shift. On your unit there are three LPNs, two RNs, and two nursing assistants. Which patients will you assign to the LPNs? Select all that apply:*

    • A. A 68 year-old male patient who is expected to be discharged home with IV antibiotic therapy.
    • B. A 25 year-old female patient newly admitted with diabetic ketoacidosis.
    • C. A 75 year-old male patient with dementia who has an ileostomy and scheduled tube feedings.
    • D. A 65 year-old female patient who has an order to remove the Foley catheter.

  • 2. As the registered nurse, which tasks below should you NOT delegate to the LPN?*

    • A. Performing an assessment on a new admission
    • B. Collecting a urine sample from an indwelling Foley catheter
    • C. Developing a plan of care for a patient who is admitted with Guillain-Barré Syndrome
    • D. Educating a patient about how to monitor for side effects associated with Warfarin
    • E. Auscultating lung and bowel sounds
    • F. Starting a blood transfusion
    • G. Administering IV Morphine 2 mg for pain
    • H. Providing wound care to a stage 3 pressure injury

  • 3. On your unit there are two RNs: one is a new RN while the other is an experienced RN. In addition, there are three LPNs and two nursing assistants. Which tasks delegated to one of the nursing assistants by the new RN needs to be re-evaluated?*

    • A. Apply hydrocortisone cream to eczema on skin after giving the patient a bath.
    • B. Assist the patient with administering a Fleet Enema.
    • C. Empty an ostomy bag.
    • D. Collect and record patient's blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, oxygen saturation, respirations, and pain rating.
    • E. Assist a patient with ambulating.

  • 4. When delegating you know that as an RN you must follow the 5 Rights of Delegation to make sure you are delegating properly. Select all the 5 Rights of Delegation:*

    • A. Right Credentials
    • B. Right Direction/Communication
    • C. Right Supervision
    • D. Right Experience
    • E. Right Task
    • F. Right Person
    • G. Right Patient
    • H. Right Circumstance
    • I. Right Time
    • J. Right Order

  • 5. True or False: An RN delegates to the LPN to administer a scheduled tube feeding to a patient. The RN has now transferred full accountability to the LPN for the task getting done, and the RN is no longer accountable for the task.*

    • True
    • False

  • 6. An RN has a critical patient that needs constant monitoring. However, the RN also has other patients in need of care. Which tasks below could the RN delegate to the LPN to help continue the process of patient care?*

    • A. Admitting and assessing the new admission
    • B. Completing the discharge teaching to a patient going home
    • C. Updating and evaluating the patient’s plan of care
    • D. Administering subcutaneous Heparin
    • E. Obtaining a routine 12-lead EKG
    • F. Collecting a stool specimen
    • G. Flushing a central line with normal saline

  • 7. Which patients below are best assigned to the LPN?*

    • A. A 30-year-old male patient with active GI bleeding that requires multiple blood transfusions.
    • B. A 78-year-old female with osteoporosis who needs assistance performing range of motion exercises and ambulating with a walker.
    • C. A 29-year-old male patient who is post-op day 6 from a colostomy placement that is on a clear liquid diet.
    • D. A 55-year-old male patient who reports chest pain and has ST segment elevation on his EKG.

  • 8. Select all the task you could delegate to a nursing assistant as the RN:*

    • A. Wound dressing change
    • B. IV flush
    • C. Collecting vital signs
    • D. Weighing a patient
    • E. Mouth care
    • F. Suctioning a patient
    • G. Applying oxygen to a patient
    • H. Connecting a patient to their IV fluids
    • I. Assisting a patient with a bath
    • J. Applying denture paste to dentures

(NOTE: When you hit submit, it will refresh this same page. Scroll down to see your results.)

1. You’re making the patient assignments for the next shift. On your unit there are three LPNs, two RNs, and two nursing assistants. Which patients will you assign to the LPNs?

A. A 68 year-old male patient who is expected to be discharged home with IV antibiotic therapy.

B. A 25 year-old female patient newly admitted with diabetic ketoacidosis.

C. A 75 year-old male patient with dementia who has an ileostomy and scheduled tube feedings.

D. A 65 year-old female patient who has an order to remove a Foley catheter.

Answers are C and D. Option A: An RN is the best for this patient because the patient will need discharge teaching AND the nurse will need to teach the patient how to self-administer antibiotics. Option B: This is a new admission and the patient is UNSTABLE. Most patients with DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) require insulin drips along with close monitoring of the blood glucose levels, which requires critical thinking and interpretation. Options C and D are best for the LPNs: these are standard routine procedures the LPN can perform and these patient cases are stable.

2. As the registered nurse, which tasks below should you NOT delegate to the LPN?

A. Performing an assessment on a new admission

B. Collecting a urine sample from an indwelling Foley catheter

C. Developing a plan of care for a patient who is admitted with Guillain-Barré  Syndrome

D. Educating a patient about how to monitor for side effects associated with Warfarin

E. Auscultating lung and bowel sounds

F. Starting a blood transfusion

G. Administering IV Morphine 2 mg for pain

H. Providing wound care to a stage 3 pressure injury

Answers are A, C, D, F, G….these are all out of the scope of practice for an LPN. Remember anything that deals with assessments, educating, evaluating, developing a plan of care, IV medications, unstable patients, or invasive/complex procedures where there is unpredictability the RN is responsible for doing it, and these tasks can’t be delegated. An LPN can perform a focused assessment by listening to lung or bowel sounds and report the findings to the RN but a comprehensive assessment is done by the RN. In addition, the LPN can perform standard procedures that are predictable on stable patients like wound care for a pressure injury, Foley catheter insertion, obtaining an EKG, obtaining blood glucose level etc.

3. On your unit there are two RNs: one is a new RN while the other is an experienced RN. In addition, there are three LPNs and two nursing assistants. Which tasks delegated to one of the nursing assistants by the new RN needs to be re-evaluated?

A. Apply hydrocortisone cream to eczema on skin after giving the patient a bath.

B. Assist the patient with administering a Fleet Enema.

C. Empty an ostomy bag.

D. Collect and record patient’s blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, oxygen saturation, respirations, and pain rating.

E. Assist a patient with ambulating.

Answers: A and B Option A is a task for an LPN or RN…hydrocortisone cream is a medication and the nursing assistant can’t administer medications. Option B: is a task for an LPN or RN….it is a procedure. Option C, D, and E are all delegated tasks a nursing assistant can perform.

4. When delegating you know that as an RN you must follow the 5 Rights of Delegation to make sure you are delegating properly. Select all the 5 Rights of Delegation:

A. Right Credentials

B. Right Direction/Communication

C. Right Supervision

D. Right Experience

E. Right Task

F. Right Person

G. Right Patient

H. Right Circumstance

I. Right Time

J. Right Order

The answers are: B, C, E, F, and  H. The 5 Rights of Delegation are: Right Task, Right Circumstance, Right Person, Right Direction/Communication, and Right Supervision.

5. True or False: An RN delegates to the LPN to administer a scheduled tube feeding to a patient. The RN has now transferred full accountability to the LPN for the task getting done, and the RN is no longer accountable for the task.

FALSE: The RN can delegate this task to the LPN BUT the RN is still ACCOUNTABLE for the task getting done even though the RN is not the one performing it.

1.       An RN has a critical patient that needs constant monitoring. However, the RN also has other patients in need of care. Which tasks below could the RN delegate to the LPN to help continue the process of patient care?

A.      Admitting and assessing the new admission

B.      Completing the discharge teaching to a patient going home

C.      Updating and evaluating the patient’s plan of care

D.      Administering subcutaneous Heparin

E.       Obtaining a routine 12-lead EKG

F.       Collecting a stool specimen

G.     Flushing a central line with normal saline

Answers: D, E, and F…these are all tasks an LPN can perform. They are routine procedures that usually have predictable outcomes. RNs are responsible for performing assessments on new admissions, teaching, evaluating, flushing and maintain central lines, and updating the patient’s plan of care.

2.       Which patients below are best assigned to the LPN?

A.      A 30-year-old male patient with active GI bleeding that requires multiple blood transfusions.

B.      A 78-year-old female with osteoporosis who needs assistance performing range of motion exercises and ambulating with a walker.

C.      A 29-year-old male patient who is post-op day 6 from a colostomy placement that is on a clear liquid diet.

D.      A 55-year-old male patient who reports chest pain and has ST segment elevation on his EKG.

Answers are B and C. LPNs should be assigned STABLE patients with predicable outcomes and cases that don’t require critical thinking or complex analysis. The patients in options A and D are unstable and require constant care with decisions being based on how to interpret patient findings.

3.       Select all the task you could delegate to a nursing assistant as the RN:

A.      Wound dressing change

B.      IV flush

C.      Collecting vital signs

D.      Weighing a patient

E.       Mouth care

F.       Suctioning a patient

G.     Applying oxygen to a patient

H.      Connecting a patient to their IV fluids

I.        Assisting a patient with a bath

J.        Applying denture paste to dentures

Answers C, D, E, I and J. These are all tasks the RN could delegate to a nursing assistant.
More NCLEX Quizzes

Which of the following task is appropriate for the nurse to delegate to an experienced nursing assistant?

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Which task is appropriate for the nurse to delegate to the experienced nursing assistant?

Tasks such as performing range of motion exercises and collecting a urine specimen are appropriate to delegate to the CNA as they do not involve assessment, interpretation, or decision making.

Which task may a nurse delegate to a nursing assistant?

In general, simple, routine tasks such as making unoccupied beds, supervising patient ambulation, assisting with hygiene, and feeding meals can be delegated.

Which of the following tasks is appropriate for the nurse to delegate to an experienced UAP?

Routine tasks, such as taking vital signs, supervising ambulation, bed making, assisting with hygiene, and activities of daily living, can be delegated to an experienced UAP.

Which task should be assigned to the nursing assistant?

Serve meals, make beds, and keep rooms clean In line with meeting patients' basic needs, duties of a certified nursing assistant often include serving meals to patients, making beds and helping clean rooms. This can mean cleaning out bedpans and changing soiled sheets.