Delegation and assignment
NCLEX management map: what stays with the RN, what LPNs/LVNs and UAPs can take, and the five rights that keep delegation safe.
By the Clesial Editorial Team · Reviewed by Clesial Editorial Team, Clinical Content Review
Updated August 4, 2026 · 8 min read
Delegation items are scope plus stability. Decide who owns the judgment, then match the task to the person who can safely carry it out.
Who owns what
| Role | Usually can | Usually cannot |
|---|---|---|
| UAP / assistive | ADLs, bed bath, toileting, ambulation of stable clients, vitals on stable clients, I&O, linen | Assess, teach, interpret, meds, unstable clients, sterile/complex procedures outside training |
| LPN / LVN | Stable, predictable clients; data collection; reinforce teaching; many meds per state/facility rules | Initial comprehensive assessment, care planning, complex/unstable teaching, fresh unstable admissions (as the primary nurse) |
| RN | All of the above plus assessment, planning, evaluation, IV/complex skills per role, unstable clients | — (accountability stays even when a task is delegated) |
State nurse practice acts and facility policy set hard edges. On the exam, use the national-style pattern above unless the stem states a local rule.
Stability beats task labels
| Give to RN | OK to assign/delegate when stable |
|---|---|
| New admission needing full assessment | Routine vitals on a long-stable client |
| Post-op client whose condition is changing | Assist with feeding a stable client without aspiration risk |
| Client with new neuro change or fresh chest pain | Bathing / linen change for a predictable client |
| Discharge teaching that requires judgment | Reinforce already-taught instructions (LPN) |
Safety
If the stem says “just admitted,” “unstable,” “changing,” or “needs teaching about a new diagnosis,” keep it with the RN.
Five rights of delegation
- Right task — within the person’s role and training.
- Right circumstance — client stable enough for that person.
- Right person — skills match the task.
- Right direction — clear, specific instructions and expected report-back.
- Right supervision — you check the result and intervene if needed.
How to reason under time pressure
- Is this assessment, planning, evaluation, or judgment-heavy teaching? → RN.
- Is the client unstable or unpredictable? → RN.
- Is it a basic support task on a stable client? → UAP candidate.
- Is it routine care on a stable, predictable client? → LPN candidate.
- Whoever you choose: clear directions and follow-up.
Must know
- RN keeps assessment, teaching that requires nursing judgment, and unstable or unpredictable clients.
- UAP: stable ADLs, vitals on stable clients, I&O, positioning — no assessment, teaching, or meds.
- LPN/LVN: stable clients with predictable outcomes; can reinforce teaching and gather data; initial assessment and complex teaching stay RN.
- You can delegate a task, not the accountability. Follow up on results.
- Unstable, new post-op, fresh admission, or changing condition → RN.
- Five rights: right task, circumstance, person, direction/communication, supervision/evaluation.
Memory hooks
- RN = APET: Assessment, Planning, Evaluation, and Teaching that needs nursing judgment stay with the RN (along with unstable clients).
- Stable and predictable: If the client or outcome is unstable or unpredictable, do not hand the core nursing judgment to UAP or treat it as routine LPN work.
How it's tested
Stems list four tasks or four clients and ask who should do which. Distractors give the UAP an assessment or teaching, assign a fresh unstable admission to the LPN, or treat delegation as dumping without follow-up.