Charge Nurses: What sort of nurses working under you do you like/dont like?

My least favorite person to work with is one who says "that's not my patient" and/or lazy people.

Asking the same question over and over is annoying. Asking things that common sense would have you know is also annoying (things like "Patient A's call light is going off but he's not mine should I answer it"). Asking questions because you are new or you want to provide excellent patient care is definitely NOT annoying.

As for assignments. When you make out an assignment it is not simply throwing names on paper and hoping for the best. You have to consider each nurse and how she functions alone and as part of the team. This allows you to manage the patients. For instance when I did assignments for a very busy ER I had to consider how experienced/personalitied my staff was. In the Zone that had 2 trauma rooms I couldn't put three new or weaker nurses. I had to put at least one kick-butt nurse, one with moderate experience and then maybe a newbie. The newbie might have gotten a Trauma room but the kick-butt nurse could help her even if she had the other Trauma room while the moderately experienced would make sure everybody else survived. But that only works if the moderately experienced nurse was a hard worker. If she/he wasn't then everything would go to you know where. Also different personalities didn't always mix and you had to consider fairness. If one assignment was known to be more difficult it isn't fair to keep assigning it to the same person. Or if one nurse was a quick and hard worker who constanly has to help a slower, lazier nurse keep up they can get a little peeved. So often if a staff member requested a change in assignment it meant changing the ENTIRE unit assignment in order to make things run smoothly. It often took an hour to make the final assignments

because I had to arrange 12-13 nurses, 3 medics, 5 techs, 3 UC's, 2 RT's, 2-3 housekeepers and a partridge in a pear tree!!!!!

I'm not a fan of the nurses who are unwilling to take report from the ED on admits. Or the ones who get mad because you assign them the next admit.

I don't assign admits because I don't like you, it's because you have an open bed. That's all. The pt coming over needs a nurse, the nurse who has them in the ED needs to take care of other people...it's all a big chain.

Nurses who bug me about every little detail about their pt's- jeez, can't they handle anything? Your pt's temp is 99.0? Ok, give 'em some APAP- don't freak out.

And... nurses whose pts are getting into trouble, but they don't keep me informed or ask for help. Don't get in over your head, risk the pt, and make us all look bad- ask for help. That's what I'm there for.

Lazy and assignment challengers- I can't stand that, either.

People who always complain from the time they walk in the door until they leave. This brings the morale down and makes everyones day miserable.

I was wondering if, for example, asking lots of questions (like I sometimes do) is bothersome?

I also noticed that charge nurses get irritated when someone challenges an assignment...

Is there anything you particularily do and don't like? Do you like for the nurses to check in with you regarding the status of patients?

Challenging an assignment is usually un-called for and rude. Charge nurses usually spend a lot of time figuring out assignments and asking other nurses about them. If I had a bunch of nurses complaining about an assignment, I'd say "Fine, change them all around and hopefully everyone will agree on it...I'm going home!"

Also, the nurses who whine when it's their turn to float. When I have figured out it's your turn, just go and get it over with...and quit being a baby!

Being inflexible is the worst thing a nurse can be like.

the, "you-don't-have-to-tell-me-what-to-do:-i-know-my-job" nurse.

then they don't do what they're supposed to.

leslie

Challenging an assignment is okay... IF: 1) you ask nicely, 2) you have a good reason, and 3) you get there before everyone else takes report. These nurses that waddle in 15 to 30 minutes late then want to gripe and change everything... no way! As a previous poster said, there are often valid reasons for the assignment the way it is. I don't try to "dump" on anyone, whether I like you or not. I'm sorry if you have the "split" again, but I don't just pull names/rooms out of a hat and see where they land! I sometimes spend up to 30 minutes just trying to figure it all out, especially if there is a float nurse assigned.

Also, if you ask my advice about something, you sure as heck better take it... unless you have a good reason not to (and let me know about it). And if I tell you that you need to clarify an order or write a note about a situation, you better get it done! Can't stand laziness.

Finally, keep me informed of condition changes. I don't like surprises... unless it's a party!

:balloons:

I'm not a fan of the nurses who are unwilling to take report from the ED on admits. Or the ones who get mad because you assign them the next admit.

I don't assign admits because I don't like you, it's because you have an open bed. That's all. The pt coming over needs a nurse, the nurse who has them in the ED needs to take care of other people...it's all a big chain.

I dont like taking report from the ED but I have to. BUT I don't get upset at my Charge Nurse...For the ED, the patient in the ED needs a bed and the ED needs to be decongested. For my Charge Nurse, she has a job to do and this is part of the job description.

Sometimes our ED do not triage very well or do not do a lot of things right......thats when I blow a fuse. When a patient is bumped up to the ICU after spending 15 min with us in my unit. I have a mental checklist of questions that I ask depending on the diagnosis. If not properly answered....I call the Admitting Medicine Resident (while the ED nurse is on the other line)to ask him to order whatever needs to be done to the patient before going up. He'll be the one to go and order that nurse to do something. I know how it goes..I used to be an ED nurse and I hated dong shortcuts. So I know the tricks of the trade when they try to palm off a patient to my unit.

but as charge nurse, I know there is a reason for a patient assignment. Its not just for the numbers but also the right staff to handle the patient acuity. You dont give a heavy district or patient group to a new nurse who has been here for 2 months. You gotta ease them into the workload.

Count me as one that gets irritated when nurses "challenge their assignment". I don't need to be challenged. Come to me and discuss it maturely and don't have a temper tantrum at the nurses station because you might think you're impressing your coworkers with your "I ain't gonna take no crap" attitude, but you're really making yourself look stupid, and don't complain behind my back. I'm a mature adult, but I have feelings too. I don't mind admitting when I'm wrong and discussing things like adults. Many times I've changed an assignment when a nurse had discussed things with me. I'm not on the floor and might not know the intricate challenges the nurse is facing, if they haven't communicated with me and I've been busy myself.

Oh, and if you're chronically late, don't show up 30 minutes late complaining about your assginment because I will not change it.

challenging an assignment is usually un-called for and rude. charge nurses usually spend a lot of time figuring out assignments and asking other nurses about them. if i had a bunch of nurses complaining about an assignment, i'd say "fine, change them all around and hopefully everyone will agree on it...i'm going home!"

also, the nurses who whine when it's their turn to float. when i have figured out it's your turn, just go and get it over with...and quit being a baby!

being inflexible is the worst thing a nurse can be like.

i understand that some charge nurses spend a lot of time thinking about assignments and how to be the most fair to the staff, balance the workload, consider the skill level of the nurse and the acuity of the patient. i have also heard charge nurses say things like "who don't we like that we can stick with this obnoxious patient," or "so and so is just a *****, so we'll stick her with the two 500 pound, bedridden patients on go-lytely." when that happens day after day after day i can understand the nurse complaining.

and as for the floating -- if it's your turn, float. but if it's not your turn and someone else is wriggling out of taking their turn, send them.

i was wondering if, for example, asking lots of questions (like i sometimes do) is bothersome?

i also noticed that charge nurses get irritated when someone challenges an assignment...

is there anything you particularily do and don't like? do you like for the nurses to check in with you regarding the status of patients?

i like to work with nurses who think about how to solve their own problems before they bring them to me. if you can't come up with something ok, but please at least think about it first.

i like to work with nurses who help each other out.

i like to work with nurses who help me out when i need it. if we're full and the surgeon has just accepted a train wreck from another facility and i need someone to transfer their patient out in a big fat hurry so that we can accomodate the train wreck, i'm grateful for all four of those nurses who helped transfer out the only transferrable patient even though it wasn't their patient (the nurse whose patient it was was in ct with her other patient) and then helped set up the room for the trainwreck and tag teamed the admission. i like flexible, helpful nurses.

i don't like nurses who complain incessently, fight with other nurses or other departments or try to duck out of work.