Delegation to assistive personnel by school nurses--one state's experience

Budget cuts to education, reduction of school health services and an increase in the nursing needs of school-age children have placed pressure on school nurses to delegate nursing procedures to assistive personnel. This paper reports on a study of school nurses in a Midwestern state. Nurses reported refusing to delegate, delegating against their better judgment, delegating without knowledge of the assistant's qualifications or without providing orientation or training, and delegating because they were told to by someone else. The study identified factors considered by nurses when deciding to delegate a procedure, educational preparation for delegation, and problems experienced with delegation.