prioritization-delegation-and-assignment-practice-exercises-for-the-nclex-examination-4th-edition

or evaluated activities of assistive personnel, with 65.8% working in long-term
care settings (NCSBN, 2010, p. 35). IV therapy and administration of blood
products or total parenteral nutrition (TPN) by LPNs/LVNs also vary widely. A
2015 survey showed that although labor and delivery knowledge was deemed
by LPN/LVNs, supervisors, and educators as one of the least important
concepts to learn (possibly because of infrequent use of LPN/LVNs in labor
areas), blood product transfusion topics were considered vital for basic
LPN/LPN education (NCSBN, 2016a, pp. 24–26). Even in states where
regulations allow LPNs/LVNs to administer blood products, a given health care
organization's policies or job descriptions may limit practice and place
additional safeguards because of the life-threatening risk involved in the
administration of blood products and other medications. The RN must review
the agency's job descriptions as well as the state regulations because either are
changeable.
LPN/LVN practice continues to evolve, and in any state, tasks to support the
assessment, planning, intervention, and evaluation phases of the nursing
process can be allocated. When it is clear that a task could possibly be delegated
to a skilled delegatee according to your state's scope of practice rules and is not
prohibited by the organization policies, the principles of delegation and/or
assignment remain the same. The totality of the nursing process remains the
responsibility of the RN. Also, the total nursing care of the patient rests
squarely on the RN's shoulders, no matter which competent and skilled
individual is asked to perform care activities. To obtain more information about
the statute and rules in a given state and to access decision trees and other
helpful aides to delegation and supervision, visit the NCSBN website at
http://www.ncsbn.org. The state practice act for each state is linked at that site.
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