Do your Charge RNs take patients?

[RNMomma22]

Recently we have had some changes due to the healthcare reform and watching the budget closer and having to balance staffing, patient safety, and budget.

Our Charge RNs rarely ever have taken patients but every other hospital I have worked for we did. So now, our Charge RNs are furious and dragging the units down with negativity.

So, my question is... do your charge RNs take patients? I work on a stepdown/intermediate care unit. Our staff RN ratios are 4-5:1 days and nights and our Charge has been taking 1-3 patients.

Thanks for you input!

[Caffeine_IV]

On my former unit, at night they had a full load. During the day from 7-3'they did not but would pick up some patients from 3-7. I think the charge nurse should take a lesser assignment because it is hard to be the resource person and putting out fires when you have a full load. The compensation at my former job did not reflect the responsibility of this role.

[HyperSaurus, RN, BSN]

Yes, we do (med/onc with tele), often a full load. And we're all new (I'm the most senior with 1 year and 4 months experience), so only a few of us can do charge. It often feels like the blind leading the blind. However, we only have to be charge on the weekends. On week nights, we have a manager who does the charge stuff plus whatever else it is that she does (but she's not really on the floor that much and certainly doesn't take admits)

[silverbells_star]

we just changed and our charge is not to have pts except for weekend nights (cause I guess people aren't sick at night??) They claim our ratios are 4-5 but it's really 5-6 and management has been hinting that it could go up to 7. We are a med/surg, mostly surg floor.

[~PedsRN~, BSN, RN]

I am a charge RN (there are several of us and we rotate our duties, so I am not always charge when I work) at a large children's hospital on a busy ortho/trauma floor. Our charge nurses do take patients... at least one, sometimes as many as necessary to get the job done (if staffing sucks and we need help!)

[nichristeve]

I work in OB. The charge nurse does triage, and can have 3 or 4 patients at a time. which really stinks....cause there is no one to watch your labor patient while the other is delivering!

[DalekRN]

Ours will typically not take pts, or maybe just one VIP. She will be charge on two floors though (ours- high risk postpartum/gyne med/surg and another regular postpartum) and just be free to help wherever needed. It's so so great to have someone who can bounce around and is free to help, it has really improved stress levels!

[melmarie23, MSN, RN]

I also work OB and our charge nurse triages for us as well

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

I used to charge when I worked in progressive care. We took a full load of patients, all of the time. There were times where we were short and all of the nurses had to take 5 but the charge RN would usually take 4. I did, however, take into consideration the needs of my staff so there were times where I ended up taking over patients for some of the nurses. I would help out with doing the admission process as much as possible.

In the ER, the charge nurse does not take patients, unless there is a problem or we're short on staffing.

[RNKPCE]

With California ratios at all times our charge does not take patients as she is relieving staff for their breaks and meals. This is a tele unit.

[NurseKatie08, MSN]

Our unit is a transplant med-surg unit. The staffing ratio is 3-5:1 between 0700 and 2300 and charge does not take a patient assignment (usually only 1-2 nurses have to take 5). At night the staffing ratio is 6:1, with the charge nurse taking 2 patients.

[RNincognito]

We have a free charge on days. They take a full assignment nights (1:6) and weekends (1:5) which can sometimes be a lot but it is nice during the week having someone able to settle admissions and what not.

[Lennonninja, MSN, APRN, NP]

I work in a MICU and we have a free charge. We also have the rapid response nurse (they sit at the desk with the charge nurse) who is also free since they have to be a resource for the hospital as a whole. It's really great because about 70% of my shift (weeknights) has less than 2 years of experience, so they're both fantastic resources. They help with our admissions, bedside procedures, and field trips to CT/MRI/everywhere else. I love this system!