A charge nurse delegates to an assistive personnel (AP) the task of ambulating a client. At the end of the shift, the nurse discovers the client has not been ambulated. Which of the following actions should the nurse take first?

Rationale: A. Evaluate why the client was not ambulated.: The first step in addressing a missed delegated task is to assess the reason it was not completed. Understanding whether barriers were related to the AP, client condition, workload, or communication helps the nurse plan corrective action and prevents recurrence. B. Ambulate the client on behalf of the AP.: While ensuring the client’s needs are met is important, jumping straight to performing the task bypasses assessment of the underlying issue. Immediate action may address the symptom but not the cause of the missed delegation. C. Supervise the AP performing the task.: Supervision is appropriate for ongoing tasks but is not the first action once a task has already been missed. The nurse must first determine why the task was not completed before implementing supervision. D. Remind the AP of her assigned tasks.: Reminding the AP without assessing why the task was missed does not address potential systemic or situational barriers. It may be necessary later but is not the initial step in problem resolution.