Chapter 6: Delegation and Prioritization of Client Care Staffing SOLUTIONS

1. A registered nurse (RN) instructs a nursing assistive personnel (NAP) to take vital signs for several patients. Which of the following best describes this situation? A. Direct delegation B. Supervision C. Indirect delegation D. Assignment D Page: 83 Feedback A. This is incorrect. Direct delegation occurs when an RN reassigns responsibility for performing a job to another person. B. This is incorrect. Supervision occurs when one individual holds authority over another. C. This is incorrect. Indirect delegation occurs when a list of duties is approved by an organization to be assigned to certain personnel. D. This is correct. Assignment is the allocation of duties that an individual is already authorized to do. 2. A chief nursing officer instructs a supervisor to complete staff scheduling for the month. Which of the following best describes this situation? A. Direct delegation B. Supervision C. Indirect delegation D. Assignment A Page: 84 Feedback A. This is correct. Direct delegation occurs when an RN reassigns responsibility for performing a job to another person. The delegator retains responsibility to ensure the job is actually completed. B. This is incorrect. Supervision occurs when one individual holds authority over another. C. This is incorrect. Indirect delegation occurs when a list of duties is approved by an organization to be assigned to certain personnel. D. This is incorrect. Assignment is the allocation of duties that an individual is already authorized to do. 3. When making assignments for the nursing team, an RN carefully considers the scope of practice and skills of each of the team members. This is an example of which task-related concern? A. Appropriateness B. Fairness C. Efficiency D. Abilities D Page: 88 Feedback A. This is incorrect. Appropriateness is a task-related concern. When making assignments it is essential to consider whether the individual assigned the task has the education to perform the task, and whether the task needs an individual with specific education and licensure. B. This is incorrect. Fairness is a relationship-oriented concern, taking into account the physical and emotional aspects of providing nursing care and striving to divide the workload evenly. C. This is incorrect. Efficiency is a task-related concern when RNs are making assignments. Appropriate delegation results in efficiency, but inappropriate delegation costs time and money and decreases efficiency. D. This is correct. Assignments should be individualized for each member of the nursing team. For each member of the team, the RN should consider the individual's knowledge and skill level, job description, role expectation, legal definitions, and individual strengths and weaknesses. This is tailoring the assignment to the abilities of each team member. 4. A staff nurse informed the charge nurse that she was 6 weeks pregnant. The charge nurse rearranged patient assignments so the pregnant nurse would not be caring for highly infectious patients. This scenario is an example of which relationship-oriented concern? A. Health B. Appropriateness C. Fairness D. Staff preference A Page: 90 Feedback A. This is correct. Health is a relationship-oriented concern when making assignments. Special health needs should be taken into consideration. B. This is incorrect. Appropriateness is a task-related concern. When making assignments it is essential to consider whether the individual assigned the task has the education to perform the task, and whether the task needs an individual with specific education and licensure. C. This is incorrect. Fairness is a relationship-oriented concern when making assignments. Fairness takes into account the physical and emotional aspects of providing nursing care and striving to divide the workload evenly. D. This is incorrect. Staff preference is a relationship-oriented concern when making assignments. Staff preference takes into account the individual desires of the team members. 5. The charge nurse assigns a patient with a rare diagnosis to a newer nurse. This is an example of which relationship-oriented concern in making assignments? A. Staff preference B. Learning opportunities C. Compatibility D. Fairness B Page: 89 Feedback A. This is incorrect. Staff preference is a relationship-oriented concern in making assignments that takes into consideration the individual desires of the team members. B. This is correct. Learning opportunities is a relationship-oriented concern when making assignments that considers the educational needs of team members, challenging them to take on new tasks. C. This is incorrect. Compatibility is a relationship-oriented concern in making assignments that focuses on team building efforts. D. This is incorrect. Fairness is a relationship-oriented concern that takes into account the physical and emotional demands of providing nursing care and strives to divide this workload evenly. 6. A new nurse is reviewing the legal constraints of nursing practice. Which of the following should the nurse review to determine legal boundaries to practice? A. State nursing practice act CONTINUED....