Clinical Duties

[mrbiggelsworth]

Hi Everyone,

My class just started going out to clinicals, starting with the nursing home. Our instructor has decided to assigned a different task every week for us to learn. She has assigned me the task of Charge Nurse. Does anyone know what duties i will have to do? Thanks for your help!:thnkg:

[pinkiepie_RN]

From my experience, charge nurses don't take any patients. They are a resource person for other nurses and help out when an extra hand is needed. They check emergency equipment and set up rooms for new admissions. They also help with admissions, VS, and any issues that come up during the shift. I'm sure someone can offer more details than me, but I hope this helps. When I did my senior practicum, I shadowed my preceptor when she had charge duties.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

Some of the things I had to do as a charge nurse:

• determine which licensed nurses and CNAs would be working on the unit and that everyone has arrived
  
• determine how many patients and empty beds we had on the unit/check with admitting to see if there were any scheduled admissions/check for any scheduled surgeries or procedures
  
• make the patient assignments for the nurses and nursing assistants who would be working, assign their breaks and lunch breaks
  
• if there were any inservices or meetings that were to be held that day, fit them into everybody's work schedule
  
• meet briefly with the offgoing charge nurse to see if there were any pressing problems I needed to know about immediately
  
• get report from the off going shift
  
• accompany physicians as they visited their patients if they wanted a nurse with them
  
• assist physicians with procedures if they requested
  
• sign off/verify written physician orders/let RNs caring for patients know of new orders - assist unit secretary with transcribing of new orders on the charts
  
• notify bed control when patients have been discharged
  
• handle problems as they surface and communicate the disposition to the staff involved
  
• assist the nursing staff if they are overwhelmed with work and need help
  
• make sure everyone on the nursing staff is doing their job
  
• just before the end of the shift check all charts to make sure all physician orders have been noted, signed off and the patient's nurses are aware of the new order changes
  

[truern]

During my clinicals we called it "team leader".

Basically you're a resource person for the other students that have patient assignments. In my last semester we actually made the assignments, checked with each student to see what their plan of care was for their patients, made sure charting was done, made sure the instructor knew about procedures that came up during the day, etc. We were like assistants to the CI.