Which tasks can be performed by assistive personnel (AP) in a nursing setting?

Assistive personnel (AP) play a crucial role in supporting nursing staff by performing specific tasks within their scope of practice. Cleaning a client's dentures is a task that falls well within the boundaries of what AP can do. This task is considered routine and assists in maintaining the client's hygiene and comfort, which is essential in patient care.

Tasks delegated to assistive personnel must be clearly defined and should not require any specialized nursing knowledge or skills. Activities such as cleaning a client's dentures directly support the overall care plan and enable nurses to focus on more complex assessments and interventions that require their professional expertise.

In contrast, tasks like ambulating a postoperative client and monitoring vital signs immediately after surgery involve considerations of the client’s surgical status, which typically requires nursing judgment and assessment skills. Likewise, giving medications left by the nurse could pose risks if not managed correctly, as it requires an understanding of pharmacology and the nurse's responsibility for medication management. Thus, these actions are outside the appropriate delegation scope for assistive personnel.