Final answer:
Nursing assistants or nurse aids carry out delegated tasks under the supervision of licensed nurses, contributing to patient care and medical procedures. The labor market for nursing professionals, including nursing assistants, is determined by the demand and supply, affecting employment numbers and wages.
Step-by-step explanation:
Persons who perform delegated tasks under the supervision of licensed nurses are typically known as nursing assistants or nurse aids. These individuals are integral to the healthcare team and specifically focus on providing support and basic care to patients, often under the direct supervision of a registered nurse (RN). Their duties can include a range of tasks such as taking and reporting patients' vital signs, helping with some medical procedures, assisting patients with activities of daily living, and preparing solutions and equipment to ensure procedures are carried out accurately and sterily. In the healthcare labor market, registered nurses, nursing assistants, and other healthcare professionals are in demand, and the balance of demand and supply can influence wages and employment opportunities.
For example, in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota-Wisconsin metropolitan area, the number of registered nurses, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), showed an increase from about 35,000 in 2015 to nearly 41,000 in 2020. This aligns with the necessary equilibrium in the labor market for nursing and other healthcare professionals—a concept explained by the interplay of demand and supply schedules, which dictate the quantity of nursing services supplied and demanded at different salary levels.