Final answer:
The fairly new nurse with 6 months of experience should be assigned to the 72-year old patient in need of education on incentive spirometry due to its relative simplicity and applicability to the nurse's experience in the surgical unit. Option C is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
The charge nurse is faced with the task of making assignments and must consider the complexity of care each patient requires when assigning a nurse with 6 months of experience from the surgical unit to the medical unit. When looking at the options provided:
A 58-year old on airborne precautions for tuberculosis (TB).
A 68-year old just returned from bronchoscopy and biopsy.
A 72-year old who needs teaching about the use of incentive spirometry.
A 69-year old with COPD who is ventilator dependent.
The nurse with 6 months of experience should be assigned to the 72-year old who needs teaching about the use of incentive spirometry. This task requires knowledge that is likely familiar to a nurse coming from a surgical unit, as post-operative patients often need incentive spirometry to prevent post-surgical complications.
This task also tends to be less acute and complex than managing a patient on airborne precautions for TB, caring for a patient fresh from a bronchoscopy and biopsy, or a patient who is ventilator dependent due to COPD. Consequently, this assignment seems most appropriate to the skill level of a nurse with their level of experience.