In Florida, who may a nurse delegate tasks to, and what must be preserved?

• A. Delegation to unlicensed assistive personnel is not allowed under any circumstances.
• B. Delegation to family members is preferred for routine tasks.
• C. Delegation to unlicensed assistive personnel is allowed under supervision; professional nursing judgment and scope cannot be delegated.
• D. Delegation is identical to assignment and requires no supervision.

Answer: (C)

Delegation is the process by which a nurse transfers the performance of a task to an unlicensed assistive personnel under supervision, while the nurse retains accountability for the outcome. In Florida, such delegation is allowed for routine, noncomplex tasks when the person is competent and properly instructed, but professional nursing judgment and the nursing scope cannot be delegated. The supervising nurse must assess the patient, determine which tasks are appropriate to delegate, provide clear instructions, ensure the delegatee is competent, supervise the task, and evaluate the results. Tasks that require nursing assessment, interpretation, clinical judgment, or planning—i.e., anything within the nursing scope—must stay with the licensed nurse. This is different from assignment, which is simply distributing tasks within a staff member’s job duties and does not involve transferring nursing responsibilities or ongoing supervision.