Being Charge

redshiloh · May 6, 2003

You don't have to take that kind of garbage! Can you write up the screamer for insubordination?

I remember what a psy MD told me as a supervisor"what is fair to one person won't be fair to another"

So make the assignments and refer the complainers to the NM

nurse2002 · May 6, 2003

I work agency every once in awhile and am pretty much on the same unit. The same RN always throws a fit about her team of patients. You could give her one patient that had been admitted for constipation and she would still throw a fit. I just want to hand her a 'binky' ever time I hear her.

My answer. Write them up every time they do it. In the future maybe they can throw a fit at another facility. AND get the message.:)

ktwlpn, LPN · May 6, 2003

Originally posted by bbqchick
I feel bad now, but I shouldn't. How could I have better responded to my LPN's the other night. I assigned a patient to one of them and she immediately yelled at me asking why she was getting the patient. I said to her, "Because it is your group's turn and we each have six patients." It wasn't good enough for her.
The other LPN made a snide remark about a float nurse passing my meds. It was earlier in the shift and we each had eight or nine patients and were one nurse short. The float nurse was told they didn't have to take a group by supervisor and told me they would pass meds and do admits. He just happened to start with my meds since they were the first rooms. I just blew that remark off.
Later, the same LPN told me she was leaving the floor to get a bite to eat and that she had paged a doc 30 minutes prior. I was running, running and asked her to give a quick report to one of us who wasn't so busy because I didn't have time to talk to her doc if he called. Or, I said, take your phone. She about lost her temper and walked away and didn't go eat after all. She's pregnant, but that's not my fault, is it?
I hate being charge!!! It seems like I can't ever do anything right and work myself to death and few of the others are ever happy. The times that I have taken on extra to appease their fussing, they were later sitting around all caught up and I continued to run crazy! I'm ready to quit my hospital, but I know it won't be better anywhere else. I'm ready to quit nursing, simply because I'm so sick of the co-workers crap!

One thing I have learned is that one can NEVER "blow" anything off-when you are in charge you must BE in charge every minute of the shift.Shut down those remarks immediately in a professional way -ie-" I understand how you feel and I will make time to discuss it but now is not the time" As far as float nurses go maybe you need to look at their duties and determine how they can be utilized to the fullest.I have often seen the float nurse or even the cna unfairly monopolized by one nurse on the unit-meds and admissions sounds ok but suppose it just happens that the float does your meds and then gets hung up with admissions the rest of the shift? If the float is going to do all of the IV meds then the rest of you can do your own admits(just a suggestion) As for covering each other-it does sound like you are getting overwhelmed.Why not try making coverage part of each assignment? District 1 covers for district 2 and so on...I probably would have been a bit ticked at a nurse that would not take report from me so I could go to break-especially after I had seen to all of their needs and had them all settled-running around begging someone to cover means less break. Also-don't work yourself to death bending over backwards to appease-that never works.Be professional-do what you have to do.....All of the extras are never enough and really don't gain you respect from those that you supervise.Try to be fair with everyone-talk to staff about these problems and get their help with coming up with ways to solve them-and them implement them.Sounds like you do need some leadership training...try not to refer to the staff as "Your lpn's" or "your RN's" Staff are sometimes offended by it-maybe that attitude is something that they are detecting. You may not be cut out to be in charge-don't jeopardize your health and career to burn out because of it.Maybe another setting would be better for you.Good LUck-I feel for you-I HATE the days I am in charge on my LTC unit...

healingtouchRN · May 7, 2003

I have been a charge RN for years & it doesn't get easier in the days of less staff, less experienced people to work with & I often take the harder assignments, else I'll be in there anyway training the staff or cleaning up the mess. I do get an extra $1/hr in my salary, & I share an office with another charge nurse, something I've never had before. I'd rather do this than manage the whole dept, (which I have had the opportunity on more than one occasion & declined). I am only responsible for my crew. More good days than bad.

nurse2002 · May 7, 2003

Originally posted by ktwlpn
One thing I have learned is that one can NEVER "blow" anything off-when you are in charge you must BE in charge every minute of the shift.Shut down those remarks immediately in a professional way -ie-" I understand how you feel and I will make time to discuss it but now is not the time" As far as float nurses go maybe you need to look at their duties and determine how they can be utilized to the fullest.I have often seen the float nurse or even the cna unfairly monopolized by one nurse on the unit-meds and admissions sounds ok but suppose it just happens that the float does your meds and then gets hung up with admissions the rest of the shift? If the float is going to do all of the IV meds then the rest of you can do your own admits(just a suggestion) As for covering each other-it does sound like you are getting overwhelmed.Why not try making coverage part of each assignment? District 1 covers for district 2 and so on...I probably would have been a bit ticked at a nurse that would not take report from me so I could go to break-especially after I had seen to all of their needs and had them all settled-running around begging someone to cover means less break. Also-don't work yourself to death bending over backwards to appease-that never works.Be professional-do what you have to do.....All of the extras are never enough and really don't gain you respect from those that you supervise.Try to be fair with everyone-talk to staff about these problems and get their help with coming up with ways to solve them-and them implement them.Sounds like you do need some leadership training...try not to refer to the staff as "Your lpn's" or "your RN's" Staff are sometimes offended by it-maybe that attitude is something that they are detecting. You may not be cut out to be in charge-don't jeopardize your health and career to burn out because of it.Maybe another setting would be better for you.Good LUck-I feel for you-I HATE the days I am in charge on my LTC unit...

Good post.

mececil · May 7, 2003

recently i became involved in a political issue, over the proposed budget cuts imposed by grey davis Ca. As chairman of this committee, along with being a student nurse i realized that you simply cannot be all things to all people all of the time. When an individual needs to take a stand very few can rise knowing there will be some sort of dessention amongst those you must guide. the real issuse falls where even those you are ryting desperatly to assist dont understand your task at hand. therefore remember when you need to rise a cut above do so with integrity knowing your decisions are for the greater goood of the whole then those who just like to *****.:chuckle

shoelace · May 10, 2003

Originally posted by healingtouchRN
I have been a charge RN for years & it doesn't get easier in the days of less staff, less experienced people to work with & I often take the harder assignments, else I'll be in there anyway training the staff or cleaning up the mess. I do get an extra $1/hr in my salary, & I share an office with another charge nurse, something I've never had before. I'd rather do this than manage the whole dept, (which I have had the opportunity on more than one occasion & declined). I am only responsible for my crew. More good days than bad.

healingtouchRN-

Taking the hard assignments and "doing it all" just robs other

nurses of getting the experience needed to do the job themselves.

Why not go ahead and spend the extra time helping someone out,

so that next time, they're able to take the harder assignment

themselves (er... or the next time or the next time :-).

Unless you have a very high turnover rate, spending time exposing

the less experienced staff to complicated patients can help you

in the long run.

healingtouchRN · May 11, 2003

To shoelace,

thanks for the reply. We have a high turn over rate, I am one of two experienced people on nites, with 5 new grads in a busy 12 bed CCU (with CVI overflow). So I do what I do to keep from taking 5-6 unit pts. I had 3 last nite, not too bad, an IAB with two other MI's. But some of my staff are just too green to know how things really are. I asked one gal to come help me turn my IAB pt & put on her gown, she couldn't even button the darn gown right, she had it all in the tubing & art line! The FAMILY noticed. I just have to continually re-do things! anyhoo, Some of my new grads are great, charge material, innate to the job, GOOD COMMON sense! That is what makes a great nurse, just plain ol' thinking on your feet. Oh, Happy Mother's Day! I took my best friend to Waffle House, before we went to the police station to file a warrent for being abusive to a healthcare worker, a felony.....another thread entirely! Boy am I pooped! off to bed!

BBFRN, BSN, PhD · May 11, 2003

Why is the LPN griping about taking 6 patients??? Sounds pretty good to me, and I'm an LPN. Does she gripe when you don't have time to push her IV meds or hang her blood, because you have a full patient load yourself??? Our charge nurses don't take a full patient load (they usually start out with 4 patients, and us with 6-7), and it works out fine. They might take an admit if they're not really busy, but we don't count on that. Plus, are they helping you out while you're busy with their IVP's or blood, if you have a full load? Probably not, as I know LPN's who are like this, and are the first to complain. Don't take her crap- tell her to take it up with her NM if she can't handle 6 patients. There are a lot of jobs in other hospitals where she'll take 10 patients, and the CN takes none.

ceecel.dee, MSN, RN · May 11, 2003

Originally posted by Agnus
As charge and as the RN it IS your job to ADVOCATE. You are in charge. Take charge

Being Charge is more than making out assignments. You do not get called charge nor the token charge pay to make out assignment sheets.

Yes you are caught between a rock and a hard place. EVERYONE in a management or supervisory position is.

It takes courage and you have it. Take a stand. Or be stood upon.

No way, could I have said this better myself!

I say to our charge nurse's all the time, "It's your shift! You need to manage it! If you want the respect, you must act like managers! This is important, not just here with our staff, but for RN's everywhere!":)

Germannurse2 · May 18, 2003

Hi,I have been in charge many times and hated it.Now I work in a hospital where I only take patients as a last resort so no one else has to take more than six patients,and in the meanwhile I help with admitts,cover when nurses go to lunch,and help with newbies and agency nurses. This works out great for everyone.

MandyInMS · May 18, 2003

Seems there is always going to be at least 1 person always unhappy about assignments..on our med/surg floor we rotate pts each time we come back to work, and we have 1 nurse..whatever pts she has they are "the worst group"..some people are just unpleasable no matter what..oh yes, and she is the one who always has to go out for her dinner, talks on the phone all night,sits at the desk half awake..but, her pts are SO TERRIBLE...lol..do what you have to do as charge nurse and if someone is THAT unhappy about your judgements tell them they are free to speak with the supervisor/DON regaurding the matter.I am an LPN, and I feel our charge nurse is more than fair..she makes assignments based on acuity of care..most nights she has equal pts as we do,and we LPN's take first admits...other nights she may have fewer pts according to what's going on at the time...what's not fair about that?I have no problem with it myself..because I feel she treats everyone FAIRLY..including herself :) know your limitations and make sure the staff knows what is expected from them...then stand your ground...win-win situation...best of luck to ya (((hugz)))