Am I the Charge Nurse?

[Brewer,RN]

Let me start off by saying I started a new job last year at a freestanding outpatient surgery center. The position I applied for was a full-time nights staff nurse position. What I do is take care of the patients that stay overnight for 23 hour observation (mostly ob/gyn hysterectomies) and go home in the morning. I am the only RN at night, I have a nurse tech who also works with me. We are the only two people in the entire building at night (of course we can call IT, administration, security, physicians etc. if there's any problems)

If there's more than 4 patients staying overnight we call in an agency nurse to work with us, and I make patient assignments and make sure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. Sometimes the agency nurses clash with me because they don't like the assignment, or have specific times when they want to take their lunch break when I am busy dealing with a patient's urgent issue etc. The agency nurses argue that I am not their supervisor, therefore have no authority over them. I can't tell them which patients to take, when to take their lunch break, tell them to get off the computer etc. My nurse tech companion (who has worked here for several years) says that I AM the charge nurse because I'm in charge of all the patients and the entire building at night.

I had never really considered it until now since the position I applied for was just a staff nurse position, but would you guys consider me to be the charge nurse? Would I be able to put that on my resume for future jobs? Should I be getting paid the measly $1/hr charge differential? I have been a nurse for less than 5 years and have only ever done staff nursing, so I am just curious. Any opinions or comments would be appreciated. :)

Oh and as far as the agency nurses go, I talked to my director about them and told her I can't have people on my team that aren't going to work with me, and she agreed not to let those specific nurses come back. Since then we've had a couple of really good ones.

[klone, MSN, RN]

You would need to ask your manager that. I would say that nobody here could answer that for you, as we have no idea what your facility's intent was when they hired you.

[annaotis]

You sound like you are required to do what a charge nurse does. Ditto on the clarification of your title, role and responsibilities with your hiring manager. If the agency nurses act like that , you are right not to hire them back. Agency or not, you've got to be a team player. They need to leave the attitude at the door and do what needs to be done. Hang in there!

[toomuchbaloney]

Has your employer given you authority over other nursing staff in writing?

Are they paying your to act in a supervisory capacity?

If the answer to those questions is no, then you are not the charge nurse and you should not behave as one. Unless you feel like giving away your professional talents to for profit corporations.

[maxthecat]

I would not consider you a charge nurse, more like a resource nurse for the agency nurse. But you should check with your management for a definitive answer.

I do think you should consider how you are coming across to the agency nurse, though. I know if I were working with only one other nurse and that nurse took it upon herself to TELL me what I could do and when, as opposed to NEGOTIATING how the two of us would handle things, I would probably resent it.

[Ayvah, RN]

While you do sound like a charge nurse, you can not put that title on your resume unless that is your specific job title that at work. I'd agree with talking with your manager about clarification of your role/title.

[twinsmom788]

How about asking your manager to hire a couple of prn nurses so agency nurses are not an issue. I agree with the other commentors that a policy and procedure for your position is in order. Try looking at your specific State Regulations for Outpatient Surgery Centers. I would be willing to bet your answer could be found there.