Delegation and the care team: professional nurses, nursing auxiliaries and students
- Fundamental
A professional nurse may delegate tasks to a nursing auxiliary but stays accountable for the patient and supervises what was delegated.
What it is
Delegating means entrusting a specific care activity to another team member without handing over accountability for the patient. In Colombia, Law 911 of 2004 (art. 8) lets the professional nurse delegate activities to the nursing auxiliary when, in their judgment and given the circumstances of time, manner and place, this does not put the person's integrity at risk and they can supervise what is delegated. Assessment, clinical judgment, planning, teaching and evaluating the plan are not delegated. To practise, an auxiliary needs a certificate from a legally recognised institution (Law 1164 of 2007, art. 18). Students practise under faculty supervision (Law 911, art. 31).
Key points
- Right task: within the role and the institution's rules.
- Right circumstance: the patient is stable; if that changes, the delegation is reassessed.
- Right person: has the training and proven competence.
- Right communication: clear instructions, limits and what to report; the delegatee confirms understanding.
- Right supervision: follow-up, evaluation of the result and complete records.
Components
- Professional nurse: assesses, diagnoses, plans, delegates, supervises and evaluates.
- Nursing auxiliary: performs assigned or delegated activities and reports changes.
- Student: learns and practises under the supervision of faculty or the professional nurse.
- Interprofessional team: physicians, therapists, nutrition, pharmacy and others, in collaboration.
What it is for
- Share the work so more patients are cared for safely.
- Have each activity done by the right person.
- Protect the patient through supervision and clear communication.
In nursing practice
- Taking the vital signs of a stable patient can usually be delegated; interpreting a change and deciding what to do cannot.
- Feeding a patient with no swallowing problems can be assigned; if they have trouble swallowing, trained staff do it or supervise closely.
- A delegatee can and should refuse a task they do not feel competent to do, and report at once if they cannot finish it.
- Law 911, art. 8, paragraph: the professional sets criteria to select, supervise and evaluate their team.
Common mistakes
- Delegating the assessment of an unstable patient.
- Giving vague instructions («keep an eye on him»).
- Delegating and never checking back.
- Delegating to someone without the training for the task.
- Believing that delegating also hands over accountability.
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
What are the five rights of delegation?
The right task, circumstance, person, communication (directions) and supervision.
Which article of Colombia's Law 911 of 2004 allows delegating activities to the nursing auxiliary, and on what conditions?
Article 8: when it does not put the person's integrity at risk and the professional can supervise what is delegated.
Which activities are not delegated?
Those that need clinical judgment: the initial assessment, planning, patient teaching and evaluating the care plan.
Who is accountable for the patient when a task is delegated?
The delegating professional stays accountable; the delegatee answers for doing it well and reporting.
Connections
Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order.
Sources: Nursing Management and Professional Concepts (Open RN), 3.4 Delegation (Open RN, Chippewa Valley Technical College (LibreTexts), 2022); Ley 911 de 2004, responsabilidad deontológica para el ejercicio de la enfermería (arts. 7, 8 y 31) (Secretaría General del Senado de la República, 2004); Ley 1164 de 2007, disposiciones en materia del talento humano en salud (art. 18) (Secretaría General del Senado de la República, 2007); Nursing Fundamentals (Open RN), 4.7 Implementation of Interventions (Open RN, Chippewa Valley Technical College (LibreTexts), 2022).
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.