Can you be forced to be charge nurse?

[yourfuturern22]

Hi guys! I've been a nurse for 1 year and 2 months. My charge nurse just recently came to me and told me that I would be charge nurse tonight and I would be the charge nurse when 2 of our other relief charge nurses leave in just 2-3 months. I was a nervours reck for that first night, we had 7 admissions and 2 unplanned transfers to special care, which left me feeling horrible and with a knot in my stomach the whole night. Btw. I work on an acute care peds unit. This charge nurse position is a responsibility that I do not want right now and neither do I feel that I have enough experience for. As I told u before 2 of the older nurses are leaving and they've only been nurses for 2-3 years. This leaves our night shift team with 10 new nurses that have been doing nurses for less than 1 year and 1 senior nurse that's part time with 20+ years experience. I'm overwhelmed and feel like all of this is unsafe. Can I refuse charge nurse position, do I have a choice? Is this unsafe nursing practice? If you were in my position would u start looking for jobs immediately. (Btw this is what I'm doing). All advice appreciated!!!

[Tabitha Cumpian, MSN, RN]

As many others have pointed out, being a charge nurse is technically something within your scope of practice. There are no additional certifications or requirements needed aside from your nursing license. However, you are talking about your nursing license, which took a lot of time, effort, and finances in order to first get and so being protective of that license is very wise. 

Job Description

Begin by reviewing your job description closely to determine if it states you will be required to take charge at some point. If it is not listed in your job description, then you can politely and respectfully have a conversation with your manager regarding this. 

Training

If being a charge nurse is required, then ask for additional training so that you can be well prepared and ensure that you are leading your team well and keeping the patients safe. When talking with your leadership, do not outwardly refuse to do the job, but ask them if they can help train and coach you so that you can do the job well. I recommend always making sure that your leadership knows you want to do everything you can to ensure that patients' safety and needs are always being met. 

Walk Away

If in the end you have asked for training and support in taking on these additional responsibilities but cannot receive them, then it is appropriate to look for other work. It's always best to work through things first, and not simply jump ship because of one thing. Keep in mind that no one place is perfect, and the grass is not always greener on the other side. However, if you are not going to be supported or trained appropriately and there is a concern for patient safety or you're worried that it could harm your nursing license, then looking at other nursing opportunities is wise. There are always nursing jobs available and after all the work you put into getting your license, it's not worth losing it over improper training. 

[Paulita]

I don't believe anyone can be forced into any position. The key word behind everything done in Healthcare is safety. If it is unsafe for you to be charge, you should refuse. My hospital was a skeleton in terms of staff after covid and nurses with 8 months experience were forced into charge positions because they thought they couldn't refuse. Then came my turn at 1 yr and I refused. They accepted my refusal. I knew I had grounds when my refusal was accepted. Now at 2 yrs of experience, the same situation is happening again but now I have found  that the position has to be accepted. You have to be upgraded to RN 2 and it comes with a pay raise. The pay raise was always disclosed but the position offering was never mentioned by management which is why I could refuse prior. I am still refusing the position today because they are not offering training and more importantly I don't have experience with many things I know happen on my floor. I find it a disservice to my coworkers to assume a leadership position when I am myself clueless as to what to do in many situations. Good luck to anyone fighting the abusive system and instead stands their ground advocating ultimately for patient and nurse safety.