Nurse Practice Acts and Administrative Rules
Boards of nursing (BONs) have jurisdiction over licensed nurses
and the nursing care they provide, including the care they
delegate. NPAs define the legal limits of nursing practice, and
the majority of jurisdictions refer to delegation in their NPA
or administrative rules. Thirty-nine NPAs authorize delegation
by RNs (NCSBN, 2005). Corazzini et al. (2011) analyzed the
NPAs and administrative rules in 50 states and the District
of Columbia related to delegation by licensed practical nurses
(LPNs) and found that 24 jurisdictions explicitly stated that
LPNs could delegate and supervise care and only four explicitly
prohibited LPNs from delegating and supervising care. The
remaining jurisdictions were silent on delegation, supervision,
or both.