Our new hire, new grad charge nurse

RedhairedNurse, BSN, RN · Dec 16, 2010

Let me ask you guys your opinion on this. They just hired a graduate nurse on our med surg floor and made her the charge nurse. She has zero experience. She is a BSN nurse, and the majority of us are LPNs that have been here a while. I don't have a problem with a grad nurse being a charge nurse, but with no experience at all? Has management in this hospital lost their minds?

Hopefully she'll stay in good with you guys because you all are going to have to teach

Her quite a bit. I learned and still learn from LVNs that I have the upmost respect

For. Not everybody can make the choice to do the additional schooling.

kimbo9 · Dec 16, 2010

A new grad RN shouldn't be "in charge of anybody, be it LPN or RN subordinates.

I totally agree with that. I don't have a problem with having someone with a higher educational background as charge nurse. I just think they need to have a little more experience than no experience. I think that experience is just as important, if not more important, than the educational background. Oh and this is not a LTC facility, its a hospital.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Dec 16, 2010

ioh and this is not a ltc facility, its a hospital.

lol!!! this position sounds like it has a high turn-over rate. does this new grad know that she/he needs to be able to run a code like the back of his/her hand and be a resource of experience to those she/he of is in charge... not to mention make assignments based upon patient acuity and skills of the nurses caring for the patients (all of which means she/he must draw on experience..)??? probably not.... she/he will not be there for too long. if you and your co-workers do not take a big bite out of her/his bottom side, sadly the environment will!!!!

Dazglue, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN · Dec 16, 2010

Hopefully, this new grad RN will have experienced people on your floor that she will be able to turn to for assistance and guidance, without being given the cold shoulder merely because she chose to go to school a little longer :)

My thoughts exactly. You never know she might be great at this position. She will probably need help and I hope someone out the kindness of his/her heart will assist. Everyone needs guidance at the start of a new job.

elprup, BSN, RN · Dec 16, 2010

Whilst a new grad. RN is "qualified" academically, most of us are aware that nursing is a highly practical vocation that requires a certain amount of hands on experience to be competent.
If I were this new grad. RN, then I would think twice before accepting this job - without experience, my license would be constantly on the line... supervisory positions are not safe or suitable for new grads in any discipline.

As a new/old grad with no previous experience, I totally agree! This is why I am not taking the nurse supervisor

position at my new job! Hello people, not safe. But yet they asked me, and keep asking me.

backatit2 · Dec 16, 2010

Well I guess the economy for new grads isnt so bad after all :)

yeah, really! lol.

kimbo - what state are you in?

agldragonRN · Dec 16, 2010

i guess if the lpn's do not like the fact that a new grad rn is in charge of them, they should go back to college to get their rn license.

the lpns do not like the fact that a charge nurse has no experience at all. it has nothing to do with being the rn. not all lpns are jealous of your rn title you know.

what do the lpns do when they have questions or need help with something and the charge cannot help them because she does not know either? i know no nurse knows everything but a charge is supposed to draw from her experiences when being asked for help.

in this scenario the lpns will end up teaching and training this charge.

op, i suggest you chart everything when dealing with this "charge". for example, when you have a change in status of the patient, always chart "charge rn made aware" or "reported to charge rn". of course you do have to report it to her first before charting you did.

i used to work with an incompetent/lazy rn supervisor, and i always chart all my conversation with her including the times.

good luck to you op.

angel

backatit2 · Dec 16, 2010

the lpns do not like the fact that a charge nurse has no experience at all. it has nothing to do with being the rn. not all lpns are jealous of your rn title you know.
what do the lpns do when they have questions or need help with something and the charge cannot help them because she does not know either? i know no nurse knows everything but a charge is supposed to draw from her experiences when being asked for help.
in this scenario the lpns will end up teaching and training this charge.
op, i suggest you chart everything when dealing with this "charge". for example, when you have a change in status of the patient, always chart "charge rn made aware" or "reported to charge rn". of course you do have to report it to her first before charting you did.
i used to work with an incompetent/lazy rn supervisor, and i always chart all my conversation with her including the times.
good luck to you op.
angel

i don't think all lpn's would be jealous of rn's. i didn't even realize that this op is a lpn instead of a rn, but i can see how a lpn in that situation would think they might be more deserving of the job. experience is more valuable than education if you have no experience to go along with that education. however, there are certain positions where you have to have a certain level of education in order to do the job. this is one of those positions and a perfect example. i'm sure if the lpn had been working there for any significant amount of time and was close to graduating with their bsn then they would've gotten the job, but if a bsn is required for the position - what is the manager supposed to do? i agree with the pp - go back to school if you don't like new rn's getting promoted.

agldragonRN · Dec 16, 2010

i don't think all lpn's would be jealous of rn's.

notice in my post i said "not all".

agldragonRN · Dec 16, 2010

this is one of those positions and a perfect example.

really?

lpn: charge rn, i need help starting a peripheral line. can you start it for me please?

charge rn: umm.....sorry i never really started a peripheral line. i only did it on a dummy in school. can you ask the other lpns? plus i am not iv certified yet.

backatit2 · Dec 16, 2010

really?
lpn: charge rn, i need help starting a peripheral line? can you start it for me please?
charge rn: umm.....sorry i never really started a peripheral line. i only did it on a dummy in school. can you ask the other lpns? plus i am not iv certified yet.

yes, this really is a perfect example of a job where education matters. there are certain jobs like a doctor or a teacher or a...nurse....where you have to hold that license to do the job regardless of how much anyone thinks they could do it better. the op specifically said something about how she and other lpns have been there awhile....implying they'd be better for the job. fact is, they aren't qualified for the job based on education - period.

btw, i didn't say you said "all."

Fixit · Dec 16, 2010

Well I guess the economy for new grads isnt so bad after all :)

You're wrong to read this to mean that the "economy for new grads isn't so bad". Basically this med/surg floor is putting a new grad RN in charge because they don't want to spend the money to hire an experienced RN for charge nurse. Like many facilities, this hospital just doesn't care that they are putting this new grad's license in jeopardy.

Two months after getting my RN license I was working noc on a terrifyingly hectic med/surg/ortho floor. I was forced to assume charge RN duties one night when our only noc charge RN quit without notice. All the other noc RN's were agency so said I was the only employee who could function as charge. I didn't feel like my license was safe but I had been given no other option. (Night charge nurse on this floor had to take a full patient load along with the charge duties.)