Delegation update St. Patrick Hospital.

St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center is readying themselves for delegation in the outpatient dialysis setting. As all should be aware, the Montana Board of Nursing expanded nursing delegation rules in 2005. This means in certain settings registered nurses are permitted to "delegate" certain nursing tasks to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAPs). One setting the board specifically addressed was outpatient dialysis. In most other states, delegation to Certified Dialysis Technicians is permitted and has been going on for years. Montana will now join those ranks.

The delegation rules for this setting are very clear, the facility and the Chief Nursing Officer have very specific obligations and duties to assure the delegation process is safe, clear and most of all, understood by all parties involved. The first step is the facility must have a policy outlining the delegation process specifically. The next piece is fully educating the nurses and the technicians on the mechanics of delegation. These rules do not allow for nurses to "assign" any nursing task to just anyone. The process is well laid out and will not be haphazard. Each party will have a clear understanding of what is expected of them.

St. Patrick Hospital Dialysis Center is working on their educational component and target start date is June 2006. They are pleased to announce and congratulate two of their technicians on their recent accomplishment of becoming certified. Michele Ahern and Carrie Eschler passed the BONENT exam and will soon be participating in the delegation process once all the required processes are in place.

Phyllis McCarthy CNN 

Amy Hauschild CGRN