Charge Nurses

[LRichardson]

I'm doing a very unofficial, unscientific survey to find out if charge nurses in ICUs take patients routinely. Our ICU is a general ICU and our charge nurses have historically NOT taken patients routinely. When you reply please include your state. I'm in Oklahoma. thank!

[Zee_RN, BSN, RN]

18-bed ICU in a community hospital. We have six full-time charge nurses and they do NOT take a patient assignment (which I think is the only safe way to do charge nurse duties). I think it's just terrible that so many places have charge nurses with a full patient assignment! Charge nurses earn $1.00/hr more than staff nurses. Fortunately, our ICU is quite well staffed right now; we're up to full staff and even have a couple RN's waiting for openings in the ICU. But even when we were down staff, the charge did NOT take patients...sometimes charge nurses came in extra as staff nurses but there was still a dedicated charge nurse without a patient assignment at the helm.

[HazelLPN, LPN]

I work in a 15 bed unit and our charge nurse usually takes no assignment. All of our experienced RNs rotate the charge role. They are responsible for staffing, assiignments, carry the code beeper and respond to codes if needed, assist other staff member, and cover patients that are cared for by an LPN. Occasionally if staffing is bad they will take half a patient assignments (such as 1 1:2, 2 1:3 etc).

[LadyNASDAQ]

In Florida, yes you do! You can take as many as 3 with the Charge thing. It is crazy but it's true.

[zambezi, BSN, RN]

16 bed Coronary Care Unit (medical and surgical)

Designated charge nurses

Extra pay for charge (though not sure how much)

Charge Rn takes assignment, but they make the assignments so if it is really busy, they can take a lighter assignment or one patient. Our day shift charge occassionally does not take an assignment if there is alot of shuffeling of patients to be done.

[AmiK25]

I am an RN in a 20 bed Trauma/Medical/Surgical ICU in a large teaching hospital. Our charge nurse is responsible for staffing, bed assignments, and being a helper/resource person for staff....she does not take patients. We also have a team leader assigned to each team who does take a patient load but is responsible for making patient assignments after report and being a resource/helper for her teammates. I have seen our charge nurse forced to take a patient maybe two times in the two years I have worked in this unit due to high acuity or staffing issues but it is usually only for a couple hours or so. Our charge nurse makes an extra $1.00/hr for doing charge but we also have shift coordinators who are "permanent charge nurse" for most of the week and they have a higher salary than staff nurses but also have extra duties such as scheduling, etc...Only when a shift coordinator is not available to work does a staff nurse having to do charge and in that case they receive the extra $1.00/hr and do not have an assignment.

[ohioNP2B]

I work in a 14 bed icu and I take the same amt. of patients as the other rns when I am in charge. Im responsible for calling people in to work extra if we are short, documenting interventions, making sure the report sheet and next days staffing is updated, and booking beds.