Source: Medical Board E-News
The State Medical Board of Ohio (SMBO) has received inquiries concerning the language in Section 4730.203 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) that prohibits a physician assistant (PA) from delegating the administration of drugs in a hospital inpatient care unit, hospital emergency department, freestanding emergency department, or ambulatory surgical facility. The concern is that it prohibits a PA from directing a nurse to administer drugs in one of the designated locations.
The SMBO interprets the word “delegation” to mean authorizing an unlicensed person to perform a medical task. Nurses are licensed, and administering drugs is generally within the nursing scope of practice. Accordingly, the prohibition in Section 4730.203 of the ORC does not prevent a PA from directing a nurse to administer drugs in any of the designated locations. This is the same interpretation of the word “delegation” as in Section 4731.053 of the ORC, concerning physician delegation of tasks and drug administration.