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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 10, 2015 09:35 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator David G. Argall |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Registered Nurse delegation |
| In the near future, I will introduce legislation that would amend the Professional Nursing Law to provide Registered Nurses (RNs) with the authority to delegate non-nursing care tasks. Currently, nursing laws do not permit RNs to delegate tasks that do not require nursing judgment or substantial skill. With the lack of delegation language in the Nurse Practice Act, many RNs are unaware that they cannot delegate, but do so on a daily basis, potentially putting their careers in jeopardy. Registered Nurse delegation is the transfer of responsibility for the performance of a task from one individual to another while retaining accountability for the outcome. With the changing healthcare environment and the evolving role of the RN, the need to delegate, assign and supervise are critical competencies for our healthcare system. This legislation is not a change in scope of practice, nor is it a new function for nurses; it removes the burden from our RNs by allowing them the ability to delegate tasks that do not require nursing judgment or substantial skill. |
Introduced as SB853