Delegation, Assignment, and Prioritization Nursing Notes

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering delegation versus assignment, nursing responsibilities, prioritization rules, and exam-taking tips based on nursing lecture notes.

Delegation

Giving a specific task to a provider who is capable of performing the duty while remaining accountable for the outcome.

Assignment

Transferring a client’s care or responsibility to another provider; the receiving nurse becomes responsible for that client’s total care after receiving a report.

The Nursing Process

Critical components of nursing care that can never be delegated, specifically identified in the notes as: Assess, Evaluate, Pronounce Death, Supervise, Teach, Restraint, Triage, and Care Plan.

RN Scope of Practice (Delegation)

Responsible for stable clients with routine care, sterile dressing changes, IV Piggyback secondary, and calculating IV flow rates.

Nurse's Aide (UAP) Routine Tasks

Includes bathing the client, providing assistance with ambulation, charting and calculating intake for the shift, obtaining sputum specimens, and assisting with feeding.

Non-Delegable Situations

New condition/admission, new post-op, result interpretation, primary IV meds, blood administration, and post-mortem care.

Prioritization Rule

Focusing on what is happening right now and looking for the patient who is going to die first based on an assessment of who is most critical.

Reverse Priority

Identifying the patient with the least amount of urgency, the least critical condition, or a condition that is plainly stated (e.g., an infection from five weeks ago).

NCLEX Distractors

Elements like age or distance that should not interfere with identifying the priority patient.

NCLEX Magical Place

The concept of following the rules 'by the book' for the exam rather than focusing on real-world practicalities.