Charge nurse?

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Specializes in Nonviolent physical intervention.

Hello All,

I right now I have 5 years of experience in inpatient psych and just recently took a job at a skilled/long term facility to beef up my nursing skills. I was afraid of being labeled as a psych nurse "with no real nursing skills". I am getting a lot of skills at my new job, (jg tubes, trachs, wound, ect.) but I was just offered a charge position at my psych job.

For those who have been in this game longer than me, which do you think looks better down the road on a resume??

Being a charge at a psych hospital or getting the medical skills that I'm not getting there?

:specs:

Thanks!

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

How long have you been full time at the skilled/LTC facility? Can you take the Charge RN position and continue PRN at the skilled/LTC facility? Since you just started working there, I don't know if you'll be able to negotiate your hours. If not, I would choose learning skills over a psych charge RN position. Plus, if you just took a new position, you should probably stay there for at least a year, unless things are really bad.

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Specializes in Nonviolent physical intervention.

I've been there for only about a month but I applied for PRN and they sort of pressured me into taking 28 hours a week to help cover the floor. It's pretty bad :(. They have the worst staffing issues I've ever seen. In fact, I've seen direct care staff there working 40 hours straight just to cover the floor.

I'm thinking I could stay PRN. They finally hired at least more nurses.

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Specializes in Home Care.

Nursing skills can always be relearned.

What is your nursing career goal? What aspect of nursing do you like most?

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Specializes in Nonviolent physical intervention.

To be honest, I'm not really sure what my goals are now. I thought I wanted something more medically geared than psych but now that I'm doing it, I don't know that I like it. I feel horrible saying this but some of the things I do are just kinda of gross. :down:. I don't know that anyone LOVES digitally stimulating someone though.

I guess I just want to keep my options open. The real big draw for the charge nurse position is that it pays about $8 more an hour.

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