by snag

Hi everyone!

Just passed my NCLEX the other day but a friend of mine is still studying for her exam and she asked me a question I couldn't answer very well (no big surprise since I am a brand new RN and have EVERYTHING to learn!). She asked me if an RN can delegate the "setting up of a patient's room" to an LPN. She clarified it to mean setting up for the arrival of a new admit OR setting up the room for performing wound care, etc.

My first guess is that each state determines the appropriate delegation
rules for RN's and those rules are governed by that state's board of nursing.

My second guess is that such a valuable asset as an LPN can perform standard, unchanging tasks such as wound care. That would also mean she/he should be responsible for setting up their own care environment for that purpose (dressings, sterile gloves, etc).

I think I heard that an RN is responsible for setting up the new admit room for the patient...but I don't know and I am looking for someone out there who may know a more definitive answer (now that I have thoroughly confused the issue).

Anyway, thank you in advance for any suggestions you may provide.

Joining the best group of professionals in the world!...
A New Alaska RN!!!

Even though states will vary in LPN practice, the NCLEX-RN tries to be more general in terms of what might apply in most or all states.
Setting up a room would be an appropriate delegation in general but the question could be tricky because as far as setting up a new admit goes,an RN, LPN, or CNA could be doing this.
NCLEX often asks what is the "best" answer even if two possibilities are correct.

For instance, if two of the four possible choices for who should be setting up a room are either an LPN or a nursing assistant, it would depend on what needs to be set up.
I'd say in most cases, it would be most appropriate to have the nursing assistant set up a new admit room rather than an LPN to free up the LPN for more time to devote to activities more appropriate to their practice such as giving meds or performing treatments, dressing changes, etc.

NCLEX might look at it as an inefficient way to run a unit if a nursing assistant is available to do these things and you instead ask an LPN to do it.

Thanks a lot RN34TX! That will give us a better idea of what needs to be considered before answering this type of question. Have a good one!
Snag

It just depends on how much info they give you in the question.
I was assuming that the room was a new admit for a general Med/Surg patient.
If the room was for let's say an ICU patient that maybe needed a vent set up, a-line set-up, etc. then choosing the nursing assistant to set up the room alone would be an inappropriate choice.
They probably wouldn't put LPN as one of the possible answers here as in some states and settings LPN's may be working in ICU's and setting up these types of rooms.
Always look for the "best" answer even if more than one is possible or what you should do first even if multiple answers would be appropriate.