Delegation of work assignments to other personnel as appropriate for each patient is not permitted. An RN is not able to delegate.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Sometimes
• D. Depends on patient

Answer: (B)

Delegation is a normal and required part of nursing care. An RN can assign appropriate tasks to other personnel for each patient, as long as those tasks are within the other person’s scope of practice and the RN provides clear instructions, supervises, and evaluates outcomes. The RN remains accountable for the patient’s safety and the overall care plan, and must assess each situation to decide what can be delegated and to whom. Some tasks, such as initial assessments, nursing diagnoses, and parts of the care planning process, cannot be delegated because they require professional nursing judgment. Because delegation is allowed under proper conditions, the statement that delegation is not permitted is not correct.