Reference — Leadership & Management
Scope of Practice Reference
Quick reference for RN, LPN/LVN, and UAP scope of practice — key tasks, authority limits, supervisory responsibilities, and delegation boundaries for safe and legally compliant nursing practice.
Educational use only. Scope of practice varies significantly by state nurse practice act and institutional policy. Always verify your scope with your state board of nursing and employer. This material supports nursing education and exam review. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for clinical judgment, institutional policy, or medical direction. Always follow facility protocols and current provider orders.
License: State Board of Nursing (RN license)
Source: State Nurse Practice Act + ANA Standards of Practice
Within Scope
- ✓Conduct initial and ongoing nursing assessments
- ✓Formulate nursing diagnoses
- ✓Develop, implement, and evaluate the nursing care plan
- ✓Administer all medication routes (IV, IM, SQ, oral, topical, epidural per state law)
- ✓Perform complex procedures (IV insertion, central line care, tracheostomy care per setting)
- ✓Perform and interpret diagnostic procedures
- ✓Receive verbal and telephone orders from providers
- ✓Initiate and manage IV therapy
- ✓Provide complex patient and family education
- ✓Delegate tasks to LPN/LVN and UAP — and supervise the delegation
- ✓Pronounce clinical changes that require immediate provider notification
Outside Scope
- ✗Diagnose medical conditions (physician/APRN only)
- ✗Prescribe medications (physician/APRN/PA only — unless APRN with prescriptive authority)
- ✗Delegate the nursing process itself (assessment, diagnosis, planning, evaluation)
Supervisory Role
Supervises LPN/LVN and UAP. Accountable for all delegated tasks regardless of who performs them.
NCLEX Key Point
RN is ALWAYS accountable for delegated tasks. Initial assessment = RN only. Nursing diagnosis = RN only.
License: State Board of Nursing (PN/LVN license)
Source: State Nurse Practice Act (varies significantly by state)
Within Scope
- ✓Perform focused, ongoing assessments (NOT initial comprehensive assessment)
- ✓Collect and report assessment data to the supervising RN
- ✓Administer oral, IM, SQ, and topical medications
- ✓IV medication administration — VARIES by state (some states prohibit; others allow for stable/simple IV meds only)
- ✓Perform routine wound care (stable, predictable wounds)
- ✓Insert and manage urinary catheters
- ✓Reinforce patient education previously initiated by RN
- ✓Document care provided within their scope
- ✓Perform venipuncture (state-dependent)
- ✓Manage stable ostomies and drains
Outside Scope
- ✗Perform initial comprehensive nursing assessment (RN only)
- ✗Formulate nursing diagnoses
- ✗Develop or change the nursing care plan independently
- ✗Evaluate nursing outcomes (LPN contributes data; RN evaluates)
- ✗Receive verbal/telephone orders in many states (state-dependent)
- ✗Administer blood products in most states
- ✗Manage complex unstable IV infusions in many states
Supervisory Role
Works under the supervision and direction of the RN. Cannot function independently in the nursing process. May supervise UAPs in some states under RN oversight.
NCLEX Key Point
LPN scope varies by state — NCLEX default: LPN can administer routine meds and perform focused assessment but cannot perform initial assessment or care planning.
License: State registry (CNA certification) or employer training (UAP)
Source: Employer job description + state CNA registry + RN delegation decision
Within Scope
- ✓Assist with activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, grooming, feeding)
- ✓Vital signs monitoring (stable patients)
- ✓Intake and output measurement and documentation
- ✓Ambulation assistance (stable, non-complex patients)
- ✓Transport patients within the facility
- ✓Blood glucose monitoring (if specifically trained and RN-verified competent)
- ✓Positioning and turning (per care plan)
- ✓Specimen collection (urine, stool — not blood in most settings)
- ✓Non-sterile wound dressing changes (if trained and RN delegates)
- ✓Apply sequential compression devices and TED hose
Outside Scope
- ✗Administer any medications (oral, IV, IM, SQ — without special additional training in specific states)
- ✗Perform nursing assessments
- ✗Interpret vital sign results (reports to RN — does not independently act on values)
- ✗Insert or manage IV lines
- ✗Perform invasive procedures (catheter insertion, wound debridement)
- ✗Document nursing assessments or clinical judgment
- ✗Make nursing care decisions independently
Supervisory Role
Works under direct or indirect RN supervision. Must report all findings — including unexpected ones — to the RN immediately. Does NOT function independently.
NCLEX Key Point
UAP vital sign result = always report to RN. UAP does not interpret — UAP observes and reports. RN evaluates and acts.
Non-Delegatable RN Tasks — Always Remember
Related Resources
Standards & sources
Fact-checked Jun 21, 2026This page is written to align with American Nurses Association (ANA) — Nursing Administration: Scope & Standards · American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL). It is an educational summary, not a citation of any single document — always verify specific doses, values, and protocols against current guidelines and your facility policy. How we source content →