charge nurse duties

[busylynn]

To those of you who work in a hospital setting, do you have a charge nurse on night shift? If so, what exactly is his/her responsibilities? Do they assist the other nurses, do the admission paperwork, restart needed IV's, assist with Now orders? I have a problem with some of ours just sitting at the desk chatting on the phone all night while we are all working our butts off? Shouldn't they help where needed and help to cover the floor and call lights while others are taking lunches or just running around busy? Am I way out of line? What do your charge nurses do? Thanks!

[DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN]

To those of you who work in a hospital setting, do you have a charge nurse on night shift? If so, what exactly is his/her responsibilities? Do they assist the other nurses, do the admission paperwork, restart needed IV's, assist with Now orders? I have a problem with some of ours just sitting at the desk chatting on the phone all night while we are all working our butts off? Shouldn't they help where needed and help to cover the floor and call lights while others are taking lunches or just running around busy? Am I way out of line? What do your charge nurses do? Thanks!

Ours does the same thing yours does, perhaps we work in the same hospital? HCA? :rotfl: It's a universal problem all over! Don't write me saying you're a night charge nurse and you're a good one. We/I know there are many good ones out there. I'm just commenting that her situation is not unusual. Our management knows all about it but won't fire her because she's always there, never calls in and they don't want to have to replace her, Shame