The Five Rights of Delegation, Used on Real Questions
The Five Rights of Delegation, a joint NCSBN and American Nurses Association framework, are the right task, right circumstance, right person, right direction and communication, and right supervision and evaluation. Run them in order on a question, and the first right that fails tells you the answer.
Safe delegation and professional practice: the five rights applied to real assignments.
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The Five Rights of Delegation come from NCSBN and the American Nurses Association. They are the framework behind every delegation question on the exam.
Most students can list them. Fewer can use them. Here is how to use them.
The five rights
- Right task
- Right circumstance
- Right person
- Right direction and communication
- Right supervision and evaluation
Right 1: Right task
Can this task be delegated at all?
Some tasks can never be delegated:
- Assessment
- Teaching
- Evaluating results
- Making the care plan
- Any nursing judgment
Tasks that can be delegated are routine, repetitive, and have predictable results.
Test yourself: if the task needs someone to think and decide, it stays with the RN.
Right 2: Right circumstance
Is this the right situation for delegating?
The same task can be safe for one client and unsafe for another.
Taking vital signs:
- Stable client on day 3 after surgery → fine to delegate
- Client who just came back from surgery → RN
- Client whose blood pressure has been dropping → RN
The client’s condition decides, not the task name.
Key words that mean “do not delegate”: unstable, newly admitted, just returned, first time, changed condition, deteriorating.
Right 3: Right person
Is this person allowed and able to do it?
Two parts:
Allowed — is it in their scope? A UAP cannot give medications. An LPN cannot do the first assessment.
Able — has this specific person been trained and shown competent? A new UAP who has never done something is not the right person, even if the task is within a UAP’s scope.
The exam sometimes says “a UAP who has been trained in…” That phrase matters. It tells you the person is able.
Right 4: Right direction and communication
Did you give clear instructions?
Clear delegation includes:
- What exactly to do
- When to do it
- What to report back and when
- Any limits to watch for
Bad: “Keep an eye on room 12.” Good: “Take Mr. Lee’s blood pressure every hour. Tell me right away if the top number goes below 100.”
Wrong answers in this category often show vague instructions or an assumption that the person knows what to do.
Right 5: Right supervision and evaluation
Did you follow up?
Delegating does not mean handing off responsibility. The RN is still accountable.
You must:
- Be available for questions
- Check that the task was done
- Check the result
- Give feedback
A very common wrong answer: delegating and never checking back.
How to use this on a question
Run the five rights in order. The first one that fails tells you the answer.
Question: The nurse asks the UAP to check the blood pressure of a client who has just returned from surgery. What is wrong with this?
- Right task? Taking blood pressure can normally be delegated. ✔
- Right circumstance? No. The client just returned from surgery. They are not stable yet. ✘
Failed at right 2. That is your answer.
Question: The nurse tells the UAP, “Watch the client in room 4 today.” What should the nurse have done differently?
- Right task? Depends, but observing can be delegated. ✔
- Right circumstance? Not enough information. ✔
- Right person? Probably fine. ✔
- Right direction? No. “Watch the client” says nothing. What to watch? What to report? When? ✘
Failed at right 4.
The four common wrong answers
Delegating assessment. Fails right 1. The most common.
Delegating care of an unstable client. Fails right 2.
Vague instructions. Fails right 4.
Delegating and walking away. Fails right 5.
If you see any of these in an option, it is wrong.
The accountability rule
This shows up often, so learn it clearly:
The RN who delegates stays accountable for the outcome.
You do not transfer responsibility. You transfer a task.
So if the UAP does the task wrong, the RN is answerable for whether it should have been delegated, whether directions were clear, and whether supervision happened.
Wrong answer to avoid: “The UAP is responsible because they performed the task.”
The short version
Ask five questions in order:
- Can this task be delegated? (Not assessment, teaching, evaluation, or judgment)
- Is this client stable enough?
- Is this person allowed and trained?
- Were my directions specific?
- Will I follow up?
The first “no” is your answer.
The Five Rights of Delegation are a joint NCSBN and American Nurses Association framework. Delegation rules vary by state Nurse Practice Act.
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Frequently asked questions
Common follow-up questions on Prioritization, Delegation & Management of Care.
Which tasks can never be delegated?
Assessment, teaching, evaluating results, making the care plan, and any nursing judgment stay with the RN. Tasks that can be delegated are routine, repetitive, and have predictable results. If a task needs someone to think and decide, it stays with the RN.
How does the client's condition affect delegation?
The same task can be safe for one client and unsafe for another, so the client's condition decides, not the task name. Taking vital signs is fine to delegate for a stable client on day 3 after surgery but stays with the RN for a client who just returned from surgery or whose blood pressure has been dropping. Key words that mean do not delegate include unstable, newly admitted, just returned, first time, changed condition, and deteriorating.
What makes someone the right person for a task?
Two parts: whether it is in their scope and whether that specific person is trained and has shown competence. A UAP cannot give medications and an LPN cannot do the first assessment, and even a task within scope is wrong if the person has never been trained in it. When the exam says a UAP has been trained in something, that phrase tells you the person is able.
What counts as clear direction when delegating?
Clear delegation states exactly what to do, when to do it, what to report back and when, and any limits to watch for. Saying keep an eye on room 12 is too vague; a good instruction is to take a specific client's blood pressure every hour and report right away if the top number goes below 100. Wrong answers in this category show vague instructions or assume the person knows what to do.
Who is accountable after a task is delegated?
The RN who delegates stays accountable for the outcome; you transfer a task, not responsibility. If the UAP does the task wrong, the RN is answerable for whether it should have been delegated, whether directions were clear, and whether supervision happened. A wrong answer to avoid is that the UAP is responsible because they performed the task.
Sources and references
- Potter PA, Perry AG, Stockert PA, Hall AM. Fundamentals of Nursing. 10th ed. Elsevier; 2021; Chapter: Managing Patient Care.
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing. National Guidelines for Nursing Delegation. Journal of Nursing Regulation. 2016;7(1):5-14.
Reviewed by the NCLEXPace team, October 2026.
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