Functional Nursing is best described as:

• A. Dividing specific tasks among staff with each member responsible for their actions.
• B. A single nurse provides total care for a patient.
• C. A team of healthcare professionals shares care across patients with unified plan.
• D. Care is delivered by modular units.

Answer: (A)

Functional nursing is a task-oriented way of delivering care. It means the work is divided into specific duties, and each staff member is responsible for performing their assigned tasks under supervision. For example, one group might handle bathing and dressing, another administer medications, and another take vital signs, all coordinated by a registered nurse who oversees the overall plan. This arrangement aims for efficiency and broad coverage, especially in settings with high patient loads or limited staff. It’s different from giving a patient care by a single nurse who handles all aspects of care, or from team-based approaches where a group shares responsibility for a patient with a unified plan, or from modular nursing where care is organized around units rather than tasks.