Such living arrangements may include congregate living situations and other varied structured settings where nursing supervision may not always be available. The nursing profession should define the appropriate education, standards, evaluation and role of any individual providing services within the scope of nursing practice. Unlicensed personnel are defined as those individuals affiliated with any of the above living arrangements and are administering or assisting with self-administration of medication. It further states that concerning task delegation, the registered professional nurse is responsible for exercising that degree of judgement and knowledge reasonably expected to assure that a proper delegation has been made.
Medications can cause adverse effects when taken alone or in combination with food or other drugs.
Persons administering or assisting with self-administration of medications should be knowledgeable of concepts relating to the same. Nurses are the licenses authority to assess residents for reactions to medications and to safeguard against errors in administration of medication. It is the responsibility of professional nursing to be actively involved in curriculum development, delivery of training and provide initial and ongoing evaluation of knowledge, skill and competency. Furthermore, professional nursing must oversee the development of standards, policies and procedures relating to the administration and assistance with self-administration of medications. It is the responsibility of the registered professional nurse to verify the preparation of the unlicensed personnel to perform the administration or assistance with self-administration of medication.