Responsibilities and Function - Registered Nurse

(1) A registered nurse shall bear full and ultimate responsibility for the quality of nursing care he or she provides to individuals and groups. Included in such responsibility is health maintenance, teaching, counseling, collaborative planning and restoration of optimal functioning and comfort or for the dignified death of those they serve. A registered nurse, within the parameters of his or her generic and continuing education and experience, may delegate nursing activities to unlicensed persons in accordance with 244 CMR 3.05: A registered nurse shall act, within his or her generic and continuing education and experience to: (a) systematically assess health status of individuals and groups and record the related health data; (b) analyze and interpret said recorded data; and make informed judgments there from as to the specific problems and elements of nursing care mandated by a particular situation; (c) plan and implement nursing intervention which includes all appropriate elements of nursing care, prescribed medical or other therapeutic regimens mandated by the particular situation, scientific principles, recent advancements and current knowledge in the field; (d) provide and coordinate health teaching required by individuals, families and groups so as to maintain the optimal possible level of health; (e) evaluate outcomes of nursing intervention, and initiate change when appropriate; (f) collaborate, communicate and cooperate as appropriate with other health care providers to ensure quality and continuity of care; and (g) serve as patient advocate, within the limits of the law.