REx-PN Management of Care: Assignment and Supervision
Distinguish assigning care, teaching a task and transferring authority for a controlled act in an Ontario nursing context.
- Assignment, teaching and delegation are different actions.
- Client needs, provider competence, authority and available supervision all matter.
- An unregulated care provider does not replace the nurse's assessment and judgment.
Sources checked 6 October 2026.
How do assignment and delegation differ?
Assignment distributes responsibility for care or activities. In Ontario, delegation transfers authority for a controlled act to someone who would otherwise lack that authority, subject to legal and professional requirements. Teaching a task does not by itself transfer controlled-act authority. Identify which action the scenario describes before choosing an answer.
What should the nurse check before assigning care?
Check the client's condition and predictability, the worker's demonstrated competence, the activity, employer policy, resources and supervision. Do not assume a job title proves competence for every client and every activity. The nurse's own competence and role also matter.
What matters when working with an unregulated care provider?
An unregulated care provider may undertake an appropriate activity within the organisation's policies and applicable legal conditions. The nurse retains responsibility for the assessment and judgment involved in deciding what can be assigned, taught or delegated. Explain what to observe, when to report and who will reassess. Not every task involving a controlled act can simply be delegated.
How should the decision be followed up?
Give clear instructions, arrange supervision appropriate to the client and activity, and evaluate the outcome. Read CNO's current Scope of Practice requirements when the decision involves delegation; a generic five-rights mnemonic does not replace Ontario's conditions. Use the exam's details and Canadian terminology rather than assuming US scope rules apply.