A patient is admitted with hypotension, shortness of breath, flushing, and hives. All levels of staff have been trained to assess vital signs. Given budget restrictions and proper delegation rules, to which care provider would the RN delegate the task of obtaining the initial blood pressure reading?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C. The Unlicensed Assistive Personnel (UAP) can be delegated the task of obtaining the initial blood pressure reading because this task is within their scope of practice and does not require specialized nursing knowledge or assessment skills. The UAP can be trained and supervised to accurately measure blood pressure, freeing up the RN to focus on assessing the patient's overall condition and providing necessary interventions. Delegating this task to the UAP is cost-effective and efficient, allowing the RN to prioritize critical nursing assessments and interventions for the patient's presenting symptoms.
Incorrect choices:
A: RN - The RN should not perform tasks that can be safely delegated to other members of the healthcare team to optimize efficiency and resource utilization.
B: LPN/LVN - While LPNs/LVNs have more advanced training than UAPs, obtaining a blood pressure reading is a basic task that can be appropriately delegated to UAPs.
D: Using the blood pressure obtained in the ambulance - This option does