A newly graduated nurse is assigned to care for a team consisting of herself and a certified nursing assistant. When delegating skills, she needs to:

A newly graduated nurse is assigned to care for a team consisting of herself and a certified nursing assistant. When delegating skills, she needs to:

• A. Assign only bed-making and feeding skills
• B. Assess the knowledge of the certified nursing assistant
• C. Remind the staff member that she is working under the license of the RN
• D. Allow the staff member to perform only skills that the RN is able to teach certified nursing assistants to perform

Answer: (B)

Assessing the CNA’s knowledge and competence before delegating is the essential first step in safe delegation. The RN must determine what the CNA has actually been trained to do, how well they understand those tasks, and whether the CNA can perform them safely under supervision. This involves reviewing the CNA’s scope of practice, prior experience, and the facility’s policies, and may include clarifying procedures or having the CNA demonstrate understanding. This makes it possible to assign tasks that align with the CNA’s abilities and to plan appropriate supervision and evaluation. Keeping the patient safe depends on this initial assessment, because the RN remains responsible for the outcomes. Delegation uses the right task, to the right person, under the right circumstances, with clear directions and appropriate supervision. By knowing the CNA’s knowledge level, the RN can tailor assignments and supervision accordingly. Other options miss the core step. Simply restricting tasks to a couple of duties assumes a fixed, limited role for the CNA; while reminder about supervision is important, it isn’t the primary step in deciding what to delegate; and requiring that the RN can only delegate skills she personally can teach is overly restrictive and doesn’t reflect how delegation and training typically work in practice.

Assessing the CNA’s knowledge and competence before delegating is the essential first step in safe delegation. The RN must determine what the CNA has actually been trained to do, how well they understand those tasks, and whether the CNA can perform them safely under supervision. This involves reviewing the CNA’s scope of practice, prior experience, and the facility’s policies, and may include clarifying procedures or having the CNA demonstrate understanding. This makes it possible to assign tasks that align with the CNA’s abilities and to plan appropriate supervision and evaluation.

Keeping the patient safe depends on this initial assessment, because the RN remains responsible for the outcomes. Delegation uses the right task, to the right person, under the right circumstances, with clear directions and appropriate supervision. By knowing the CNA’s knowledge level, the RN can tailor assignments and supervision accordingly.

Other options miss the core step. Simply restricting tasks to a couple of duties assumes a fixed, limited role for the CNA; while reminder about supervision is important, it isn’t the primary step in deciding what to delegate; and requiring that the RN can only delegate skills she personally can teach is overly restrictive and doesn’t reflect how delegation and training typically work in practice.