Is my unit safe?

[Murse85]

I am a new graduate and have been working less than a year. I am on a med/surg unit and most of the other nurses are new grads with the exception of a couple that have 2 years experience in med/surg. Charge nurse is rotated and a lot of times the charge nurse barely has a year of experience. I was wondering if this seems unsafe to anyone else.

Thanks for the input.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

It sure does!! As I'm certain you've figured out for yourself, nursing school teaches you about nursing and experience teaches you how to BE a nurse. There's so much responsibility invovled in being in charge, and being in that position with only a little experience is a recipe for disaster. Do you have some mechanism to address this issue, such as assignment-under-protest? And does JCAHO know about this?

[Sugarcoma, RN]

NO it is not safe and I am speaking from personal experience. As a new nurse myself rolling up on 1 year experience I have routinely been assigned the charge role since passing my boards and getting a license. A full team of patients comes along with this priviledge. This is one of the many reasons I have been busting my rump to find a new job.

In a perfect world the charge role should be one of clinical support. Only the most experienced RN's with superb clinical backgrounds and assessment skills should be assigned, considering that as charge you are required to be available to your fellow RN's who need clinical support, consultation and advice. In essence as charge you are there to prevent a bad outcome. I am also of the opinion that the charge RN should also have a vastly reduced patient load.

In my facility all you need to be charge is a license, a pulse, and a watered down certificate stating you can read telemetry. Not too safe in my opinion. I would advise any new nurse that if you are on a floor where they are trying to make you charge before you have AT LEAST 1 year experience, start looking for a new job.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

Being a charge nurse with less than 5 years experience I would say is unsafe, especially with mostly new grads on the floor as well. Becareful and make sure you document well and have your own insurance. CYA!!!!

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

I'd be less concerned about new grads doing charge and more concerned about why your unit can't keep staff? If most of the staff is new grads, this implys your unit has a high turn over and doesn't sound like they can keep staff.

[Jules A, MSN]

I'd be less concerned about new grads doing charge and more concerned about why your unit can't keep staff? If most of the staff is new grads, this implys your unit has a high turn over and doesn't sound like they can keep staff.

Probably like my last unit where the NM loved hiring new grads because he could pay them next to nothing and drain the life out of the few experienced nurses that stayed. As for new grads being charge there are some that do a great job after 6 months on the job and others that I wouldn't want doing it for years but I can't imagine needing 5 years of experience before someone is ready for charge duties.