What it means
In nursing, an assignment hands over work that falls inside a person's own scope of practice or job description. A charge nurse assigns clients to RNs and LPN/VNs, and a nurse assigns routine work to an assistant. It differs from delegateDEL-uh-gaytTo hand a specific nursing task to another trained person while the nurse stays responsible for the client.Full entry , which hands over a nursing task that is not normally part of that person's role and needs extra checks.
For the nurse
Match the work to the person: an RN takes clients who are unstable or need assessment and teaching; an LPN/VN takes stable clients with expected outcomes; a UAPyou-ay-pee (said as letters)Unlicensed assistive personnel: trained workers without a nursing license, such as nursing assistants, who help with client care.Full entry takes routine tasks such as bathing, feeding and ambulating. The nurse who assigns still checks that the work is done.
In a chart
"Charge nurse assigned the new admission to the RN and the two stable post-op clients to the LPN."
At a glance
| Spanish | asignar |
|---|---|
| Also written | assigning, assigns |
Easy to confuse with
delegate
To hand a specific nursing task to another trained person while the nurse stays responsible for the client.
Related terms
UAP
Unlicensed assistive personnel: trained workers without a nursing license, such as nursing assistants, who help with client care.
registered nurse
A nurse who has passed the NCLEX-RN and holds a state license to practice as an RN.
delegate
To hand a specific nursing task to another trained person while the nurse stays responsible for the client.
supervise
To guide, watch over and check the work of another staff member who is doing a task.