The Professional Standards Discussion
Nurses are charged with providing high-quality patient care while preventing unsafe and unethical care practices. To achieve this goal, nurses must follow the standards and guidelines established by their state’s Nurse Practice Act. Delegation is an essential aspect of nursing practice, and the registered nurse has the authority to assign tasks to other healthcare team members based on their competence and scope of practice. However, the RN remains accountable for the delegation decision and the results of the delegated task. This essay will compare and contrast delegation scenarios in nursing practice, emphasizing the significance of making appropriate and safe delegation decisions to ensure patient safety and ethical practice. The Professional Standards Discussion
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State of Virginia’s Nurse Practice Act
The State of Virginia’s Nurse Practice Act defines delegation as a registered nurse authorizing an unlicensed person to perform specific nursing tasks and procedures in accordance with the Virginia State Nurse Act. An unlicensed person refers to an appropriately trained individual who functions in a complementary or assistive role to a registered nurse in providing patient care or carrying out common nursing tasks (Virginia General Assembly, 2021). However, the RN is still responsible for the delegation decision and the results of the delegated task.
In the scenario, the RN requested that the nursing assistant remove an IV from a patient ready to be discharged. Removing an IV is a nursing task that falls within the scope of a licensed nurse’s practice. According to the Nurse Practice Act of Virginia, registered nurses (RNs) may delegate some tasks to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP), such as nursing assistants, if the task is within their competency and scope of practice (Huynh & Haddad, 2022)The Professional Standards Discussion. The delegation, however, must be appropriate and safe for the patient.
In this case, the RN should have given the nursing assistant specific instructions or directions on removing the IV, raising questions about the appropriateness and safety of the delegation decision. Furthermore, the nursing assistant’s competency and training in IV removal should have been discussed, raising concerns about the safety of the delegation decision. As a result, it is appropriate for the RN to delegate the task of removing the IV to the nursing assistant if they provide proper instruction and direction and ensure the nursing assistant’s competence in performing the task.
Comparison with the Texas State’s Nurse Practice Act
The Texas State Nurse Practice Act defines delegation as transferring authority to a competent individual to perform a specific nursing task or activity in a specific situation (Barrow & Sharma, 2022)The Professional Standards Discussion. In Texas, registered nurses (RNs) can delegate tasks to licensed vocational nurses (LVN) and unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) based on their competency and scope of practice. The RN is responsible for the delegation decision and the outcomes of the delegated task.
The RN in the scenario requested that the nursing assistant remove the IV, which is within the scope of practice of LVNs and UAPs in Texas. However, under the Nurse Practice Act of Virginia, the RN must ensure that the delegation decision is appropriate and safe for the patient and that the individual to whom the task is delegated is competent to perform the task. As a result, according to the Texas Nurse Practice Act, the RN can delegate the task of removing the IV to the nursing assistant if the nursing assistant is competent to do so and the delegation decision is appropriate and safe for the patient.
Comparing and Contrasting Delegation Scenarios in Nursing Practice
I recently delegated the task of measuring a patient’s vital signs to a nursing assistant in my nursing practice. This delegation decision was appropriate and safe for the patient because it was within the nursing assistant’s scope of practice. I ensured the nursing assistant possessed the necessary competency to perform the task. On the other hand, the delegation scenario described in the question does not meet the criteria for appropriate and safe delegation because the RN provided no specific instruction or direction to the nursing assistant and did not ensure the nursing assistant’s competency in performing the task. The Professional Standards Discussion
Conclusion
Professional standards are critical in nursing to ensure high-quality care and patient safety. When delegating tasks to other healthcare team members, nurses must follow the guidelines established by their state’s Nurse Practice Act and make appropriate and safe delegation decisions. When delegating tasks to unlicensed assistive personnel, the scenarios presented in this essay emphasize the importance of providing proper instruction, direction, and competency. Nurses can provide ethical and practical patient care by adhering to these standards and guidelines. The Professional Standards Discussion
References
Barrow, J. M., & Sharma, S. (2022, July 25). Nursing five rights of delegation. National Library of Medicine; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519519/
Huynh, A. P., & Haddad, L. M. (2022, July 18). Nursing practice act. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559012/
Virginia General Assembly. (2021, September 14). 18VAC90-19-240. Definitions for delegation of nursing tasks and procedures. Law.lis.virginia.gov. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title18/agency90/chapter19/section240/ The Professional Standards Discussion
