charge nurse and coverage

[nikitabanana]

Hi All. I currently work in a very busy outpatient clinic. We basically practice the Patient Aligned Care Team Model to keep up with the Obamacare where the RNs work as a Care Managers. Each RN Care Manager is assigned to a team of doctors and their patients (ranging from 1200-1500 patients). Some of our responsibilities include triaging walk in patients, making phone follow ups, manage patients with chronic diseases etc. It's a very challenging position as to why the turn over rate in our clinic is very high. We do have a charge RN who is not assigned to any team. Her main responsibility is basically checking the call in Sick Line, making the weekly schedules, and other paperworks.The problem is when someone calls in sick or is on vacation. We basically have to cover for that other nurse in addition to the regular responsibilities that we have to do. Every time we asked this charge nurse for coverage, she would basically just tell us to work it "amongs our selves" She doesn't help at all. I came from the floor and worked in various hospitals and everytime we are short-staffed, the charge RN who is out of ratio has to provide coverage. The worst thing is that her Charge nurse position is not even an official HR position. I previosly worked as a charge nurse, where i had to apply and be interviewed by HR for the charge nurse position. Her position is just delegated by our nurse manager. Basically, she has the same job description as all the RNs in the clinic and yet is she is doing paperworks only while the rest of us have to do patient care. It is also not fair that she doesn't help and provide coverage when we are short-staffed, while the rest of us have to double or even triple our workload. Many RNs in the clinic are very stressed out because of this. I also fear for the safety of the walk in patients as they are not seen immediately by the RNs when we are short staffed. My manager is pretty much aware of the situation and she is not doing anything. I don't know what else to do? Look for a new job? Go to the union and exposed? Please Advice.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Document, document, document. Note dates when X, Y, and Z went undone, when wait times for walk-is were X hours, when patients complained about the waits. Bring this documentation, with copies, to the staff meeting with your nurse manager. If your nurse manager doesn't respond, meet with the clinic director.