SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 6411

                    As of January 26, 1998

Title:  An act relating to department of health recommendations removing barriers to nurse delegation.

Brief Description:  Enacting department of health recommendations removing barriers to nurse delegation.

Sponsors:  Senators Deccio, Wood, Prentice, Franklin, Winsley, Kohl and Oke; by request of Department of Health.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Health & Long‑Term Care:  1/27/98.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH & LONG-TERM CARE

Staff:  Rhoda Jones (786-7198)

Background:  Legislation passed in 1995 authorizing nurses to delegate specific nursing tasks to registered or certified nursing assistants in specific long-term care settings.  Upon implementation, it became evident that the new nurse delegation statute created inconsistences with current law.  The conflicts in law posed problems with the implementation of nurse delegation.

Summary of Bill:   Nursing assistants in public and private schools are allowed to administer medications to students under provisions of law which predated the 1995 nurse delegation language.

Nurses need only obtain a written informed consent from patients at the onset of nurse delegation for each consenting patient.  These consents need not be repeated for every task, nor with changes in nursing assistant or nurse.

Nurses are given flexibility to determine the most appropriate method for assessing the competency and supervision needs of each nursing assistant.  

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.