Charge Nurse Duties

[Celia M]

I work on a med/surg/tele floor in California, Nurse/patient ratio of 1:5. I was wondering what duties your charges nurses have and how many patients they take and how many LVNs they cover. Thanks Celia:nurse:

[JBizzleRN, ADN, RN]

Wow, you people make me jealous. Myself and another nurse rotate weeks of being the charge nurse and we still get full patient loads when we are in charge. And I mean FULL patient loads 8-9pts/rn on a 33 Med/Surg floor.

[litbitblack, ASN, RN]

I don't understand why in the world people think you can charge and take a full load of pts. I have done it. Its usually the CN that get the short end of the stick. As a charge your EXPECTED to know whats going on on the floor, Do everything the lvn can't or may refuse to do or is too inexperienced to do themselves, Transfuse blood, admissions, all assessments on your lvns pts, and also expected to be the extra person if the other nurses need help. It just doesn't make sense to me to assign that nurse pts cause they are already spread so thin, But that is also the reason this charge nurse no longer works in the hospital

[military girl]

As with the other posters, I have to agree that the charge nurse really does not need to take a patient assisgnment. However, I have been charge numerous times and I usually don't try and assign myself heavy patients, because as charge there is all the admin stuff that you have to do like some of the other posters stated(make assignments, cover the LPNs, cover lunches, take the gruff from the docs,and from the other services as well).

On the flip side, at night, this is another story, since usually sometimes we will get hit with admissions, and then the charge nurse will have to take more than 1 or 2. But then you still have to do cover the LPNs assessments, hang IVPBs, push meds, diet rosters, patient acuities, the list is endless. And at 5am, start drawing labs, especially when the lab tech can't get it.

As military, I am not paid any extra and our nurses are not paid any extra for being charge. Every just kinds moans and groans when it's their turn. However, when it's a good day, then being charge is great. When it a bad day, then it's a pain.