trying to learn delegation, please help???

Hi,

I am an RN student in my final weeks and I have a project on delegation. and guess what, they never really taught us delegation! I did post this in the student section but I didnt really get any feedback, I would love some help from some seasoned RN's. When I started this, I was really thinking like an LPN, I didnt even realize that I am delegating to and LPN AND a UAP. I have 3 patients. I have done most of the project. Where I am getting stuck is what parts to delegate and what to keep. I dont know if I just do each of do appropriate work - I mean realistically you wouldnt have 2 nurses and a UAP with 3 patients. But here goes. I have a cardiac patient that has not yet ruled out MI - having an echo today, not a lot of meds, no ivs, is on anticoagulant. Have a lung cancer pt in for fever considered immunocompromised because of chemo. recieving iv antibiotics lots of meds, pain meds, she is on bleeding precautions due to the chemo. then I have a post stroke gentleman with a small bowel obstruction having an xray today to see if has resolved, he is eating normally now but needs help with adl's because of the stroke and also has pneumonia, he is fairly stable. has iv antibiotics and quite a few meds, including anticoagulant as well. so I listed all my nursing interventions. Now I have to list what out of all of this I would delegate. I said that the uap could do the vitals on all patients and do the am care on the stroke pt and if the cancer pt need help with am care could assist there as well. also the uap could turn the stroke pt every 2 hrs to prevent skin break down.

as for the lpn....this is where I get stuck...probably still thinking like an lpn...I have to do the IV's, right? and assessment and teaching, there is a lot of teaching - teach the cardiac about diet, smoking cessation, calm environment, teach the cancer pt and family about how to prevent transmission of disease, prevention of nauseau, bleeding precautions, etc. would it be fair to have the lpn then do the medications for two of the other patients so that I can do the one with less meds, then do the iv's, and the teaching....what else would she be doing? patient care of course...but details? 2 pts with pneumonia but we have respiratory doing treatments and chest pt right? I normall work home care. I am not sure how this works in a hospital. my only patient without iv meds is the cardiac patient, if I assessed him and felt he was stable, could I give her the cardiac patient? He said he had a 10 out of 10 pain but was laughing and talking?

angels mommy