In the past, many people had to move to a nursing home if health care tasks were needed from a licensed health care professional such as a registered nurse (RN).
With the Nurse Delegation Program, it is possible to get help with certain health care tasks from an unlicensed caregiver at home or in a boarding or adult family home.
How Nurse Delegation Works
If you have nursing care needs, your Case Manager will make a referral to a registered nurse (RN) who has contracted with DSHS to perform nurse delegation services.
Once the referral is made, you meet with an RN for an evaluation of your health care needs. Your condition must be “stable and predictable” and the RN must feel confident that your caregiver will be able to do the task(s) safely. Learn more about what tasks can and can’t be done by a non-nurse.
The RN will work directly with your caregiver(s) and train him or her how to do the task(s) safely and correctly. The caregiver must be registered with the state as a nursing assistant, receive training, and be approved by the RN before assisting with any health care tasks.
Once your caregivers have been trained to perform the tasks delegated by the RN, the RN will periodically check in to:
- Make sure the caregivers are still performing the tasks correctly.
- Re-evaluate your condition to be sure you remain stable and predictable and don’t have other needs.
Talk with your case manager if you are interested in learning more about the Nurse Delegation Program and are currently receiving Medicaid or learn more about applying for Medicaid.