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.
I just left a job where I was the permanent charge nurse on nights. I did not take a full patient load, but did take patients. Even when we had the staffing and I could have been a free charge, I would take a few patients to help ease the load. On my unit I was the resource. I booked the beds, dealt with emergencies, dealt with difficult patients and staff and rearranged assignments for different reasons. It is not fair to patients for a charge nurse to have a full load. There were times when I didn't see my patients for awhile since I was dealing with everyone else's issues.
When I worked in Skilled nursing, ICU and ER our charge never took patients. However, on the mother/baby unit I currently work in, our charge takes patients. Its usually a lighter team. I guess it depends on the specialty.
kcochrane
1,465 Posts
I just left a job where I was the permanent charge nurse on nights. I did not take a full patient load, but did take patients. Even when we had the staffing and I could have been a free charge, I would take a few patients to help ease the load. On my unit I was the resource. I booked the beds, dealt with emergencies, dealt with difficult patients and staff and rearranged assignments for different reasons. It is not fair to patients for a charge nurse to have a full load. There were times when I didn't see my patients for awhile since I was dealing with everyone else's issues.