Saturday, April 25, 1998 | 4:01 a.m.
As the SUN's Art Nadler has reported, the state Board of Nursing is considering a regulation change that would give chief nurses in medical facilities the authority to require that their registered nurses delegate some responsibilities to unlicensed individuals. In addition, the change would make the registered nurse liable, exempting the medical facility and chief nurse from negligence. Scott Simpson, a registered nurse, put it best: "Why do you want to dilute the nursing pool with unskilled people? Professional nurses don't want this, health maintenance organizations don't want it, and the public doesn't want it."
There are enough changes occurring in medicine today that adversely affect patient care without adding another regulation that isn't well thought out. It's time for the state Nursing Board to give up on this lost cause.
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