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Question
Is the school registered nurse (RN) allowed to delegate enteral tube feeding and related tasks to the nursing assistant registered/nursing assistant certified (NA-R/NA-C) in daycares, preschools, or head start programs?
Answer

It depends. The school RN is allowed to delegate enteral tube feedings and related tasks such as stoma care, irrigation/flushing, aspirating for residual, and venting with a syringe or venting with a gastric venting system of a gastrostomy tube (G-tube), such as Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) tube, Jejunostomy tube (J-tube), or Jejunostomy/Gastrostomy (J-G) tube, to the  NA-R/NA-C in a daycare, preschool or head start program but would not be able to delegate medication administration in these settings via an enteral tube.

Registered Nurse Delegation in School Settings Advisory Opinion

Policy, Laws and Rules | Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families

Evidence-Based Strategies to Prevent Enteral Nutrition Complications, American Nurse Journal Volume 16, Number 6

Chapter 17 Enteral Tube Management - Nursing Skills - NCBI Bookshelf (nih.gov)

Preventing Errors When Preparing and Administering Medications Via Enteral Feeding Tubes | Institute for Safe Medication Practices

FAQ Category
School Nursing
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