Charge nurse and take patients?!!!

[reddellrn]

Well I just got a job making good money. At my new hospital I'm on a med surge floor. The rn has a pt load and does charge at the same time. Where I worked before, the charge nurse did not take pts. So i have been learning how to have a pt load. Well that is enough by itself. So how in the world do you have a pt load and do charge duties at the same time?? It seems impossible?

[pawsomepooch47]

On my med surg unit the charge nurse has a full assignment of 5 pts on the day shift, which depending on admissions and discharges may end up being 8 pts for the day by the time I'm done. In my mind, my pt's come first and charge nurse duties come 2nd. So some days, not much charge nursing gets done!