Discussion Board: Delegation and Supervision in Nursing

As you will soon be transitioning out in the nursing workforce, it is imperative that you understand delegation and supervision of other members of the health care team, such a licensed vocational nurses (LVN) or unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP).  To fully understand the scope of the nurse’s role, familiarity of the Nurses Practice Act (CA) and the Code of Ethics for Nurses are essential documents that you should be familiar with.  In the State of California, individuals with a license needs to ensure they are functioning under standards of the licensing bodies, which can be noted in the Nursing Practice Act , Section 2725, Title 16, and Title 22.  In addition, outside organizations also set standards/provisions to ensure the maintenance and standards across the nursing profession, such as The Code of Ethics for Nurses.  Familiarize yourself with such documents and ensure you have a foundation of how you will practice nursing.  In addition, the National Counsel of State Board of Nursing (NCSBN) speaks of the delegation process, which reflects five (5) factors in making a decision in delegation, Huber text page 142. 

1) Why is the responsibility retained by nurses when tasks are delegated?2) How do we identify what tasks should be or should not be delegated and how does your future place of employment factor into this process?3) Provide an example of situations you have seen on the nursing floor in regards to delegation and how the processes aligned or diverged with the Nursing Practice Act, The Code of Ethics, and the NCSBN delegation process.