Forced to be charge without the pay???

[Nacki]

I'm fairly new on the unit I currently work. On the unit I work I was told all nurses rotate being charge at some point and time. The nurse is oriented to charge after 1 year on that unit. I asked one co-worker, after seeming to be having a trying day as charge, what incentive she got from it. You know what she told me? NONE. All the extra responsibility and managing of the unit without any extra pay. Everyone is forced into it. I'm not too keen on being charge in the first place because of all the extra stress involved, especially not without any extra pay for it. This is one of many reasons I want to switch units when I'm eligible to transfer. What do you guys think about this?

[Neveranurseagain, RN]

25 cents an hour where I am.

Wow Sue--what are you going to do with all that extra money? Put it in the stock market and retire early? :chuckle

[cherrybreeze, ADN, RN]

Wow Sue--what are you going to do with all that extra money? Put it in the stock market and retire early? :chuckle

We get $1/hr for charge pay, not all of us do it. I work 11am-1130pm, and lately I've been in charge EVERY night I'm there! Several nurses have been there a lot longer than me (I've been there 7 years) and they don't do charge. Just don't have the personality/assertiveness to do it, so they are never asked to train to do it.

I like it, I think it's an honor, BUT, if everyone doesn't have a good night, then neither do I. I can also do so much less to help anyone since as charge we take a full assignment now.

[tryingtohaveitall]

We get 8%.

[Momto3RN, RN]

We get $1/hr for charge pay, not all of us do it. I work 11am-1130pm, and lately I've been in charge EVERY night I'm there! Several nurses have been there a lot longer than me (I've been there 7 years) and they don't do charge. Just don't have the personality/assertiveness to do it, so they are never asked to train to do it.

I like it, I think it's an honor, BUT, if everyone doesn't have a good night, then neither do I. I can also do so much less to help anyone since as charge we take a full assignment now.

This just takes the cake! Charging without ANY patients is still the equivalent of a full load at times! I usually have 1-2 pts when I charge, day or night, and though I do my best, those pts do not receive the care that I would prefer to give!

Incidentally, my unit pays 5% to charge!

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

You know a friend told me UPMC got rid of there charge pay about 4 years ago. She said she figures she lost over $2000 a year when they did it.

I left Shadyside in Feb and at that point in time they were still paying charge nruses $1/hr more to be in charge. Most felt it was worth far more than that.

[soulofme]

I make $2.00/hr in dialysis...makes my paycheck a little sweeter!

[Justhere, BSN, RN]

Me and Suesquach must be at the same hospital, we get around 25 cents also.

But nursecutie you talk about transferring, are you transferring to another hospital, because its probably not the unit that doesn't offer charge pay it is probably the hospital.

[Straydandelion]

Our floor was the same, the charge nurse got paid extra, when they were off, others were charge and no extra pay. IMO if you don't want to be charge, you shouldn't have to. Most on my floor wanted to for the experience.

[emnicams]

50 cents an hour extra here.

[Valerie Salva, BSN, RN]

No extra pay for charge in my a neck of the woods. Sucks.

[Pudnluv, ASN, RN]

$1/hr for charge pay where I am. Unless of course, you are senior staff. Senior staff gets about $1/hr more in their base pay, so they don't feel the need to pay extra for charge duties. It is actually part of the senior staff duties. There is also orientation pay of $1/hr, except of course for senior staff. Guess who is usually in charge, or orientating new staff? Yep, that be us! We are also expected to do chart audits weekly, restraint audit monthly and make sure our assigned group of nurses is up to date on their competencies.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

We get a whopping $1 per hour. NOT worth it! I absolutely despise being charge.