Nursing Leadership: Delegation and Scope of Practice |Practice Pack
2026 |Chamberlain College
1. Which task is most appropriate for the RN to delegate to a UAP?
A. Performing a sterile dressing change on a central line
B. Assessing the lung sounds of a patient with pneumonia
C. Teaching a patient how to use an incentive spirometer
D. Assisting a stable patient with a bed bath and oral hygiene
Answer: D
Rationale: The UAP’s scope of practice includes ADLs such as bathing and hygiene.
Assessment, sterile procedures, and teaching are responsibilities of the RN.
2. Which of the following describes the ‘Right Circumstance’ of delegation?
A. The RN provides clear, concise instructions for the task
B. The health status of the patient is stable and the setting is appropriate
C. The task is within the legal scope of the delegatee
D. The RN monitors and evaluates the outcome of the task
Answer: B
Rationale: Right Circumstance refers to the patient’s stability and the availability of
resources. Providing instructions is Right Direction, and monitoring is Right Supervision.
,3. An RN is caring for a patient who just returned from a cardiac catheterization.
Which task is appropriate for the LPN?
A. Performing the initial post-procedure assessment
B. Titrating an intravenous nitroglycerin drip
C. Monitoring vital signs and checking the insertion site for bleeding
D. Developing the nursing care plan for the shift
Answer: C
Rationale: LPNs can monitor and collect data on stable patients. Initial assessments, IV
titration, and care plan development require the judgment of an RN.
4. Which patient should the charge nurse assign to a nurse who has floated from
the postpartum unit to the medical-surgical unit?
A. A 60-year-old patient who is 2 days postoperative following a total hip replacement
B. A 45-year-old patient with an acute exacerbation of Crohn’s disease
C. A 72-year-old patient with new-onset atrial fibrillation and a high heart rate
D. A 30-year-old patient with a suspected pulmonary embolism
Answer: A
Rationale: Float nurses should be assigned stable patients with predictable outcomes. A
postoperative orthopedic patient is generally more stable than patients with acute cardiac,
respiratory, or inflammatory issues.
5. The RN is delegating tasks to a UAP. Which statement by the RN represents
the ‘Right Direction/Communication’?
A. ‘Go take all the vital signs for the patients on the north hall.’
B. ‘Tell me if any patient has a blood pressure over 140/90 while you take vitals before 10:00 AM.’
C. ‘Can you help the patient in room 402 whenever you have some free time?’
D. ‘I need you to perform a skin assessment on the patient in room 205.’
Answer: B
, Rationale: Right Direction involves clear, specific instructions including what to report and
timeframes. General statements or delegating assessment (which is RN only) are incorrect.
6. Which task can the RN safely delegate to an LPN?
A. Administering a dose of IV push morphine for pain
B. Updating a nursing care plan for a patient with unstable vital signs
C. Performing the admission interview for a new patient
D. Reinforcing teaching about a low-sodium diet that the RN already initiated
Answer: D
Rationale: LPNs can reinforce teaching that has already been provided by the RN. IV push
medications, admissions, and care plan updates for unstable patients are RN
responsibilities.
7. Who is ultimately accountable for the outcome of a delegated task?
A. The RN who delegated the task
B. The LPN or UAP who performed the task
C. The hospital administrator
D. The physician who wrote the order
Answer: A
Rationale: While the delegatee is responsible for correctly performing the task, the RN
remains accountable for the delegation process and the patient’s outcome.
8. A UAP reports that a patient’s blood pressure is 88/50 mmHg. What should
the RN do first?
A. Instruct the UAP to re-check the blood pressure in 15 minutes
B. Immediately assess the patient personally
C. Ask the UAP to document the value in the electronic health record
D. Call the physician to report the low blood pressure
Answer: B
2026 |Chamberlain College
1. Which task is most appropriate for the RN to delegate to a UAP?
A. Performing a sterile dressing change on a central line
B. Assessing the lung sounds of a patient with pneumonia
C. Teaching a patient how to use an incentive spirometer
D. Assisting a stable patient with a bed bath and oral hygiene
Answer: D
Rationale: The UAP’s scope of practice includes ADLs such as bathing and hygiene.
Assessment, sterile procedures, and teaching are responsibilities of the RN.
2. Which of the following describes the ‘Right Circumstance’ of delegation?
A. The RN provides clear, concise instructions for the task
B. The health status of the patient is stable and the setting is appropriate
C. The task is within the legal scope of the delegatee
D. The RN monitors and evaluates the outcome of the task
Answer: B
Rationale: Right Circumstance refers to the patient’s stability and the availability of
resources. Providing instructions is Right Direction, and monitoring is Right Supervision.
,3. An RN is caring for a patient who just returned from a cardiac catheterization.
Which task is appropriate for the LPN?
A. Performing the initial post-procedure assessment
B. Titrating an intravenous nitroglycerin drip
C. Monitoring vital signs and checking the insertion site for bleeding
D. Developing the nursing care plan for the shift
Answer: C
Rationale: LPNs can monitor and collect data on stable patients. Initial assessments, IV
titration, and care plan development require the judgment of an RN.
4. Which patient should the charge nurse assign to a nurse who has floated from
the postpartum unit to the medical-surgical unit?
A. A 60-year-old patient who is 2 days postoperative following a total hip replacement
B. A 45-year-old patient with an acute exacerbation of Crohn’s disease
C. A 72-year-old patient with new-onset atrial fibrillation and a high heart rate
D. A 30-year-old patient with a suspected pulmonary embolism
Answer: A
Rationale: Float nurses should be assigned stable patients with predictable outcomes. A
postoperative orthopedic patient is generally more stable than patients with acute cardiac,
respiratory, or inflammatory issues.
5. The RN is delegating tasks to a UAP. Which statement by the RN represents
the ‘Right Direction/Communication’?
A. ‘Go take all the vital signs for the patients on the north hall.’
B. ‘Tell me if any patient has a blood pressure over 140/90 while you take vitals before 10:00 AM.’
C. ‘Can you help the patient in room 402 whenever you have some free time?’
D. ‘I need you to perform a skin assessment on the patient in room 205.’
Answer: B
, Rationale: Right Direction involves clear, specific instructions including what to report and
timeframes. General statements or delegating assessment (which is RN only) are incorrect.
6. Which task can the RN safely delegate to an LPN?
A. Administering a dose of IV push morphine for pain
B. Updating a nursing care plan for a patient with unstable vital signs
C. Performing the admission interview for a new patient
D. Reinforcing teaching about a low-sodium diet that the RN already initiated
Answer: D
Rationale: LPNs can reinforce teaching that has already been provided by the RN. IV push
medications, admissions, and care plan updates for unstable patients are RN
responsibilities.
7. Who is ultimately accountable for the outcome of a delegated task?
A. The RN who delegated the task
B. The LPN or UAP who performed the task
C. The hospital administrator
D. The physician who wrote the order
Answer: A
Rationale: While the delegatee is responsible for correctly performing the task, the RN
remains accountable for the delegation process and the patient’s outcome.
8. A UAP reports that a patient’s blood pressure is 88/50 mmHg. What should
the RN do first?
A. Instruct the UAP to re-check the blood pressure in 15 minutes
B. Immediately assess the patient personally
C. Ask the UAP to document the value in the electronic health record
D. Call the physician to report the low blood pressure
Answer: B
