Can I refuse being in charge?????

Hmmm I tried to refuse charge after I first graduated but they told me that they wouldn't have an RN that couldn't charge. Wellllllll.......I don't work there anymore and I know there were a few nurses who flat out refused to charge and I ended up charging all the time so I guess it just depends on the facility....

You can refuse to be CN and I don't think you will flat out lose your job nor should you. If they are vengeful there could be retribution but I would hope not.

Unfortunately, there's always payback when an employee tells and employer what they won't do. One of the best nurses we had approached management about a raise, since she was not only charge pretty much any night she worked but also "volunteered' for a lot of committees which met during the day (we're nigh shift). Management told her she wasn't "experienced enough" to have a raise except for the yearly raise, and everyone was going to get a flat 3 percent (no merit increases, etc.). She told them if she wasn't experienced enough for a raise, then she wasn't experienced enough to be charge and be on 4 separate committees.

The fecal material hit the fan. Suddenly she was getting the worst mix of patients, pts scattered from one end of the floor to the other, getting her shifts switched without her input, and the NM was behind it; I came in early, saw that the NM take patients away from other nurses to have the nurse who'd asked for a raise run from room 42 down to room 7, leaving the other nurses with noticably less patients than the one who refused to be charge. That nurse is now transferring to another unit, which is going to be hard on us because she was awesome.

you could but it doesn't look good for you and it'll weigh in the merit raise.

Well, in our facility, no RN can flat out refuse to do charge if there's a need for him or her to do it. That doesn't mean you'll get fired that very day, I expect, but I'd also expect to find yourself meeting with supervisors over why you feel incompetent enough to not be able to do charge (don't get mad at my use of the word incompetent; it's just one of the ones you can expect to hear if you go down this road).

Of course you can refuse, but you shouldn't be shocked if your value to your unit drops off, too. At least that's how it is on ours: someone who refused to do charge around the time I started there didn't last much longer than my orientation time. She was let go for being insubordinant, difficult to work with, unavailable for duties as needed, refusing RN duties, etc etc.

Me, I took the expectation to do charge and ran with it: got training time, a good backup planned out for my starting weeks in charge, because they'd rather work with me than against me

Yes, you can refuse to be in charge.

It is, however, likely that you would face repercussions. I balked at being CN on days (without any CN training, 8 months after I graduated from nursing school) and got nailed for it in my evaluation - "Resistant to take-on new leadership challenges". That wasn't even me refusing, just stating I felt reluctant, didn't feel prepared, qualified or trained to do the job.

I have worked as a RN for several years at my current job on a med surg unit. I was asked to be in charge, but some things since happened and I do not feel support or backed up by nursing supervisor or my boss when it comes to certain issues. I let them know that I will not be in charge anymore. I just want to know if I can refuse being in charge without recourse?

It is too much responsibility and to my knowledge there is no policy stating a nurse must be in charge. I just don't want to loose my job.

Texas

yes you can refuse. I had done it - when I was 6 months into a job and there were many others that were senior to do it - and they refused.

Unfortunately, there's always payback when an employee tells and employer what they won't do. One of the best nurses we had approached management about a raise, since she was not only charge pretty much any night she worked but also "volunteered' for a lot of committees which met during the day (we're nigh shift). Management told her she wasn't "experienced enough" to have a raise except for the yearly raise, and everyone was going to get a flat 3 percent (no merit increases, etc.). She told them if she wasn't experienced enough for a raise, then she wasn't experienced enough to be charge and be on 4 separate committees.

The fecal material hit the fan. Suddenly she was getting the worst mix of patients, pts scattered from one end of the floor to the other, getting her shifts switched without her input, and the NM was behind it; I came in early, saw that the NM take patients away from other nurses to have the nurse who'd asked for a raise run from room 42 down to room 7, leaving the other nurses with noticably less patients than the one who refused to be charge. That nurse is now transferring to another unit, which is going to be hard on us because she was awesome.

that bites. I hope all of the other nurses left take up for her and report to upper management what that NM had done - watching her switch patient assignments... what a witch.

you could but it doesn't look good for you and it'll weigh in the merit raise.

that's just wrong. Perhaps a nurse likes focusing on their patients, rather than doing charge? Some like to toil away at being that bedside nurse... shouldn't be held against them. On the flipside, there are nurses where I work who argue over being charge - all for a measly dollar more (or less) per hour.

Thanks to everyone who has responded thus far. I was originally asked by my Nurse Manager to be in charge, to take over for someone's 3-11 shift who left. I wanted to do it at first. She would leave a lot at 7pm but she had been there a lot longer than me and had time off saved up but I don't because I haven't been there as long as her. On the days she left at 7pm there was a nurse or 2 that would take over on the day she left at 7pm. Since I'm taking over her spot and staying till 11pm, not 7pm the other ladies would get upset because if we were overstaffed they were assigned to another floor or called off till 11pm. I received some mean looks and I could feel they resented me for it. Most of them had been there longer me. Come to find out my NM never told the nurses who make the schedule on the weekend I was going to take over the 3-11 position, so I would come to work and someone else on the weekend would be in charge but on certain days my name would be the charge. It became a mess because I was asked, but there was no consistency and I felt hated for it. One of the nurses who would normally came in at 7pm and would take over when the other nurse left at 7pm before I started the job was now in a sense under me until 11pm she couldn't stand it. She even refused a patient I assigned to her recently. I just cannot deal with it anymore. The supervisors really didn't back me up. I talked to my boss about it and emailed her about these situations. She said she would talk to the person about it, but I doubt anything will become of it. They can't afford to loose anymore RNs. I feel if my boss wanted me to take over that spot she should have been the one to tell others I was in charge and not throw me to the wolves so to speak. As a result, I just do not want to put myself in this situation any longer. It is not that I am not capable or experienced at all. It is the disorganization, politics, not feeling backed up and the sheer frustration of it all. Again, thank for all your feedback and all the ears.