DELEGATION OF NURSING RESPONSIBILITIES

WHEREAS, in health care today the patient population is demonstrably sicker, increasingly older and limited to a predetermined period of inpatient care; and

WHEREAS, in health care today, there is a severe shortage and diminishing supply of registered nurses, an increasingly complex and technical component to patient care and a vigorous effort to reduce the costs generated in providing that care; and

WHEREAS, with all of these factors in place there is an ongoing effort by health care institutions and professional organizations to substitute a variety of unlicensed health care workers to assist, and sometimes even take the place of, the registered nurse; and

WHEREAS, since the health, safety and well-being of the patient is the primary and legal responsibility of the registered nurse, the nurse may use his or her professional discretion to entrust the performance of selected nursing tasks to competent unlicensed persons in selected situations. This act is known as "delegation," and although the nurse may delegate certain tasks, he or she always maintains liability for any inappropriate or unsafe care. In addition, no other person, institution or organization can determine for the nurse to whom tasks should be delegated. This is a professional and legally binding decision based on the nurse's assessment of the patient, the situation and the skills and knowledge of the alternate care giver:

RESOLVED, that AFT/FNHP support the following:

• that health care institutions actively recruit and utilize licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses because they are the most skilled adjunct to the registered nurse in patient care delivery; and

• that the registered nurse providing care to the patient is the single authority in determining which unlicensed personnel can be safely assigned to participate in specific aspects of that care; and

• that the decision to delegate must be based on the nurse's evaluation of the training and the competence of the unlicensed person and the nature of the task to be performed.