Anybody know if this is correct? Delegation question!

[RebeccaJeanRN]

I thought I recalled from my NCLEX review class that Kaplan said that a UAP (unlicensed assistant personnel) would not be allowed to bathe a MRSA (contact precaution) patient. In other words, the RN could not delegate the bath for the patient with MRSA in an open wound to an unlicensed assistant because she/he could not be expected to understand contact precautions; guess RN would have to delegate the bath to an LVN. But I can't find this 'rule' anywhere, so I'm wondering, does this sound correct? And if so, is this just in 'NCLEX' world or do you all see this practiced in the real setting too? Thanks.

[suzieqlpn]

In the facility, where I work (LTC-skilled), the non-licensed personnel are inservice semi annually on these types of cases. If the resident has MRSA in an open wound, a water-proof dressing is always applied by licensed personnel before the bath is given and the non-licensed still use contact precautions

[suzanne4, RN]

MRSA is not only found in open wounds, it can be just in sputum as well. To say that a CNA could not give a bath to a patient with contact precautions is absurd. If there is an open wound, then it is covered.

A patient is contact precautions is easier to take care of in the first place, you already know what they have, it is the ones that you find out later had some terrible thing that you knew nothing about.

All I can say is consider the source.