A nurse is caring for a patient who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is 2 days postoperative after a laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Which intervention for airway management should the nurse delegate to the UAP?

Choice A rationale

This statement is inaccurate because leadership inherently involves guiding individuals and teams towards achieving organizational objectives and getting work done. Effective leaders inspire action and commitment, which directly contributes to productivity and goal attainment, even though their approach differs from management's direct task orientation.

Choice B rationale

Leadership is indeed more focused on people. It involves inspiring, motivating, and empowering individuals to achieve shared goals. This human-centric approach fosters collaboration, innovation, and personal growth within the team, contrasting with management's primary focus on tasks and operational processes.

Choice C rationale

While management does involve budget allocation and financial oversight as part of its planning and controlling functions, this is not its sole or defining focus. Management encompasses a broader range of responsibilities including organizing resources, directing personnel, and controlling operations to achieve specific objectives.

Choice D rationale

Management is typically an assigned position within an organizational hierarchy, granting formal authority and responsibility for specific functions or departments. This contrasts with leadership, which can emerge organically within a group regardless of formal title, based on influence and inspiration.

Choice A rationale

Teaching the patient to use an incentive spirometer requires nursing assessment of technique, understanding of respiratory physiology, and evaluation of patient learning. These are complex tasks that fall within the scope of professional nursing practice and cannot be delegated to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP).

Choice B rationale

Instructing the patient to cough effectively involves assessing the patient's ability to cough, understanding their respiratory status, and providing individualized guidance based on their condition. This requires clinical judgment and specialized knowledge, making it a professional nursing responsibility rather than a delegated UAP task.

Choice C rationale

Auscultating breath sounds is a skilled assessment technique that requires advanced knowledge of respiratory anatomy, physiology, and pathology to accurately identify normal and adventitious sounds. This is a critical component of nursing assessment and cannot be delegated to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP).

Choice D rationale

Assisting the patient to sit up on the side of the bed is a task related to patient mobility and positioning, which falls within the scope of practice for unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). The UAP can provide physical assistance, ensure patient safety during movement, and follow clear instructions regarding positioning.