Charging with a patient family member

[etymed]

Just curious on peoples' views of this scenario:

A charge nurse has a close family member admitted to their floor where they regularly function as charge.

Should that charge nurse have his/her duty as charge suspended while their family member is a patient on that floor? Or, is this acceptable?

[etymed]

Okay, thanks everyone for the great responses! :)

I guess I should also specify that this scenario (in my mind) occurs in an ICU (since that's where I work).

In our ICU, charge nurses always run the codes and closely monitor patient plan of care (rounding with the doctors, chart auditing, making sure nothing is missed by primary nurse). This ICU is also in a teaching hospital, so that's another reason why charge RNs are tasked with this additional responsibility of making sure everything runs smoothly.

[1hotmama]

I worked in a hospital as a student nurse and a relative was admitted on my floor and ended up in my assignment. I was told i could not care for that person. Then our charge nurse mother-in-law was admitted and guess who was taking care of her?....the charge nurse. Double standards

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

I worked in a hospital as a student nurse and a relative was admitted on my floor and ended up in my assignment. I was told i could not care for that person. Then our charge nurse mother-in-law was admitted and guess who was taking care of her?....the charge nurse. Double standards

As a student I've been precluded from taking care of certain patients and that list includes people that I know personally. I don't think it would be any different in the NA position I'm in now. I would probably even have to work a different floor (if I didn't request that already). If I was that charge nurse and it was my MIL, I know I would be having to take care of her because I know I would already be in there the whole shift reassuring her that what so-and-so did was ok and not to worry. It would just be a major headache and be inefficient for the staffing of the floor. I would just suck it up and do it even though :sigh: I just....:sigh:. It's not a double standard but an unlucky shift from my perspective.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I worked in a hospital as a student nurse and a relative was admitted on my floor and ended up in my assignment. I was told i could not care for that person. Then our charge nurse mother-in-law was admitted and guess who was taking care of her?....the charge nurse. Double standards

Yes. There are double standards. A nurse who is an employee of the hospital is held to a different standard than a student nurse who is a guest of the facility.

[1hotmama]

I worked there as a nurse tech/cna(in nursing school) i was not a guest