Section 12.44.950. Standards for delegation of nursing duties to other persons.

	(a)  A nurse licensed under AS 08.68  may delegate the performance of nursing duties to other persons, including unlicensed assistive personnel, if the following conditions are met:  
		(1) the nursing duty to be delegated must be within the scope of practice of the delegating nurse;  
		(2) a registered nurse must assess the patient's medical condition and needs to determine if a nursing duty for that patient may be safely delegated to another person;  
		(3) the patient's medical condition must be stable and predictable;  
		(4) the person to whom the nursing duty is to be delegated has received the training needed to safely perform the delegated duty, and this training has been documented;  
		(5) the nurse determines that the person to whom a nursing duty is to be delegated is competent to perform the delegated duty correctly and safely and accepts the delegation of the duty and the accountability for carrying out the duty correctly;  
		(6) performance of the delegated nursing duty would not require the person to whom it was delegated to exercise professional nursing judgment or knowledge or complex nursing skills;  
		(7) the nurse provides to the person, with a copy maintained on record, written instructions that include  
			(A) a clear description of the procedure to follow to perform each task in the delegated duty;  
			(B) the predicted outcomes of the delegated nursing task;  
			(C) how the person is to observe and report side effects, complications, or unexpected outcomes in the patient, and the actions appropriate to respond to any of these; and  
			(D) the procedure to document the performance of the nursing duty in the patient's record.  
	(b)  A nurse who has delegated a nursing duty to another person shall provide appropriate direction and supervision of the person, including the evaluation of patient outcomes. Another nurse may assume delegating responsibilities from the delegating nurse if the substitute nurse has assessed the patient, the skills of the person to whom the delegation was made, and the plan of care. Either the original delegating nurse or the substitute nurse shall remain readily available for consultation by the person, either in person or by telecommunication.  
	(c)  The delegation of a nursing duty to another person under this section is specific to that person and for that patient, and does not authorize any other person to perform the delegated duty.  
	(d)  The nurse who delegated the nursing duty to another person remains responsible for the quality of the nursing care provided to the patient.   

Authorities

08.68.100;08.68.340;08.68.805;08.68.850;01.05.031;08.68.405;08.68.410;44.62.125

Notes

Reference

12 AAC 44.955
12 AAC 44.960
12 AAC 44.965
12 AAC 44.966
12 AAC 44.975
12 AAC 44.990
7 AAC 130.227

Authority

AS 08.68.100 AS 08.68.340 AS 08.68.805 AS 08.68.850 Editor's note: In 2010 the revisor of statutes, acting under AS 01.05.031, renumbered former AS 08.68.405 as AS 08.68.805, and renumbered former AS 08.68.410 as AS 08.68.850. As of Register 196 (January 2011), the regulations attorney made conforming technical revisions under AS 44.62.125(b)(6), to the authority citation that follows 12 AAC 44.950, so that citations to former AS 08.68.405 and AS 08.68.410 now refer to the renumbered statutes, AS 08.68.805 and AS 08.68.850.

History

Eff. 7/1/95, Register 135; am 10/14/2004, Register 172

References

12.44.950