Delegating Medical Procedures

My wife is an RN, and received a monthly newsletter with an interesting discussion of 'Delegation' from the College of Nurses of Ontario.

Full article here but my hilites:

1. the responsibilities for both delegating and accepting delegation are listed.
2. some medical activities (e.g. prescribing a drug) cannot be delegated by a nurse.
3. delegation chains are constrained.
   
4. nurses must be appropriately certified for delegation. Different nursing classes can either delegate and accept delegation, accept delegation only, or do neither.
   
5. the possibility of delegating authority to perform some act to an 'Unregulated Care Provider' (UCP), e.g. directing a family member how and when to change a dressing when sending a patient home.