Chapter 09: Delegation in Nursing Huber: Leadership & Nursing Care Management Questions with
Answers
1. The process for a nurse to direct another person to perform nursing tasks and activities is:
a. authorization.
b. delegation.
c. empowerment.
d. supervision. - correct answersB
In their Joint Statement on Delegation (NCSBN, 2005b), the ANA and the NCSBN defined delegation in
nursing as "the process for a nurse to direct another person to perform nursing tasks and activities."
2. The provision of guidance or direction, evaluation, and follow-up by the licensed nurse for
accomplishment of a nursing task delegated to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) is:
a. authorization.
b. delegation.
c. observation.
d. supervision. - correct answersD
Supervision is the provision of guidance or monitoring of a delegated nursing task. It may occur in a
variety of ways, including written and verbal communication (such as giving or receiving reports),
observation of the performance of the delegated task, or assessing the patient for evidence that the
delegated task has been completed successfully.
3. Individuals who are trained to help the registered nurse (RN) in the provision of patient-client care
activities as delegated by and under the supervision of the RN are known as:
a. certified assistive personnel.
b. health care assistive personnel.
c. medical assistive personnel.
d. unlicensed assistive personnel. - correct answersD
The NCSBN (2016) defined unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) as any unlicensed personnel trained to
function in a supportive role and to whom a nursing responsibility can be delegated.
, 4. When considering whether to delegate a task, the nurse needs to assess the patient and:
a. how many nurses are available to supervise.
b. how complex the delegated action is.
c. the severity level of the patient population.
d. the expiration date of the license. - correct answersB
When considering whether to delegate a task, the nurse needs to assess the patient and determine
whether the action delegated is complex or if the plan of care of the patient could change rapidly
(Catalano, 2015).
5. According to the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, there are five factors that a nurse
should assess when making a decision to delegate nursing tasks. These factors are assessing the
potential for harm, the complexity of the task, the amount of problem solving and innovation required,
the unpredictability of the outcome, and the:
a. amount of time that the task will take.
b. degree of comfort the delegatee has with the task.
c. level of patient interaction.
d. method of measuring outcomes. - correct answersC
The level of patient interaction is the fifth factor that nurses should assess when making delegation
decisions.
6. The five rights of delegation are right task, right circumstance, right person, right direction and
communication, and right:
a. interaction.
b. outcome.
c. supervision.
d. time. - correct answersC
The delegation process, as outlined by the ANA/NCSBN joint statement (2005) and the NCSBN national
guidelines (2016), begins with the preparation/assessment phase and then goes on to outline a five-step
Answers
1. The process for a nurse to direct another person to perform nursing tasks and activities is:
a. authorization.
b. delegation.
c. empowerment.
d. supervision. - correct answersB
In their Joint Statement on Delegation (NCSBN, 2005b), the ANA and the NCSBN defined delegation in
nursing as "the process for a nurse to direct another person to perform nursing tasks and activities."
2. The provision of guidance or direction, evaluation, and follow-up by the licensed nurse for
accomplishment of a nursing task delegated to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) is:
a. authorization.
b. delegation.
c. observation.
d. supervision. - correct answersD
Supervision is the provision of guidance or monitoring of a delegated nursing task. It may occur in a
variety of ways, including written and verbal communication (such as giving or receiving reports),
observation of the performance of the delegated task, or assessing the patient for evidence that the
delegated task has been completed successfully.
3. Individuals who are trained to help the registered nurse (RN) in the provision of patient-client care
activities as delegated by and under the supervision of the RN are known as:
a. certified assistive personnel.
b. health care assistive personnel.
c. medical assistive personnel.
d. unlicensed assistive personnel. - correct answersD
The NCSBN (2016) defined unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) as any unlicensed personnel trained to
function in a supportive role and to whom a nursing responsibility can be delegated.
, 4. When considering whether to delegate a task, the nurse needs to assess the patient and:
a. how many nurses are available to supervise.
b. how complex the delegated action is.
c. the severity level of the patient population.
d. the expiration date of the license. - correct answersB
When considering whether to delegate a task, the nurse needs to assess the patient and determine
whether the action delegated is complex or if the plan of care of the patient could change rapidly
(Catalano, 2015).
5. According to the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, there are five factors that a nurse
should assess when making a decision to delegate nursing tasks. These factors are assessing the
potential for harm, the complexity of the task, the amount of problem solving and innovation required,
the unpredictability of the outcome, and the:
a. amount of time that the task will take.
b. degree of comfort the delegatee has with the task.
c. level of patient interaction.
d. method of measuring outcomes. - correct answersC
The level of patient interaction is the fifth factor that nurses should assess when making delegation
decisions.
6. The five rights of delegation are right task, right circumstance, right person, right direction and
communication, and right:
a. interaction.
b. outcome.
c. supervision.
d. time. - correct answersC
The delegation process, as outlined by the ANA/NCSBN joint statement (2005) and the NCSBN national
guidelines (2016), begins with the preparation/assessment phase and then goes on to outline a five-step
