A charge nurse is preparing to assign tasks to an assistive personnel on a mental health unit. Which of the following tasks should the charge nurse delegate?

Introduction: Effective delegation in nursing involves assigning standardized tasks to unlicensed personnel while the nurse retains clinical accountability. Tasks delegated to assistive personnel must be non-invasive and routine, requiring minimal clinical judgment, thereby allowing the registered nurse to focus on complex assessments, medication administration, and the evaluation of therapeutic interventions. A. Assisting a client with activities of daily living, such as bathing, is a standard task within the scope of practice for assistive personnel. This is appropriate for a client with dementia who may need help with hygiene but is stable. It does not require the advanced clinical judgment of a registered nurse. B. While assistive personnel usually take vital signs, doing so for a client in acute mania is inappropriate. Clients in acute mania are often unpredictable and unstable, requiring constant assessment of their mental status and physical safety by a registered nurse during any interaction to prevent escalation or injury. C. Monitoring a client during or immediately after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) requires advanced assessment of airway patency, hemodynamic stability, and post-ictal neurological status. This is a complex nursing responsibility that involves the risk of complications, such as cardiac arrhythmias or respiratory depression, and cannot be delegated to unlicensed staff. D. Reinforcing education or providing initial teaching is a core part of the nursing process. Assistive personnel are not trained to provide or reinforce clinical information about psychotropic medications like sertraline. This task requires the nurse to evaluate the client's understanding and monitor for potential side effects or therapeutic responses.