laurako

oh yeah, our hospital is offering "agency pay" for nurses picking up extra shifts. The hospital gets off a little cheaper, they have their own full time nurses working, instead of someone who has never been there, and the nurses get PAID. It benefits everyone.

Charge nurse duties is what I was questioning, as in my above post, I am charge of a 34 bed Med/Surg unit. The nurse to patient ratio is 7:1, nights is the same . Our staffing grid states we get a "free" charge nurse for 8 hours on a 12 hour shift. NEVER happens. I come in daily with a patient assignment, and by the end of the shift have 7 patients with the rest of my nurses, as well as all the duties that come with charge nurse. I check code carts, refrigerators, clean equipment, bed assignments, admit and discharge all the patients, IV pushs, blood products, case managment rounds, hang TPN, handle patient problems, rounds with MDs, etc...(I could go on for days). With all of the duties I have, my patients seem to suffer the consequences. I work my ass off and do the best job possible, and sometimes it still is not enough. There is NO charge nurse pay differential. It is assigned, and to me, I am the senior nurse on the floor. Most of the nurses are LPNs, and we all work together, and all work hard, but I am lucky if I get another RN on the floor, and if not, I cannot leave the unit at any time. I wonder all the time, why do I continue to be charge? I am thinking of leaving very soon. Laura

Oh, and a suggestion in orientation of a new employee? 3 weeks on their "home" floor (unit), and at least 3 shifts on 3 different units..... it would be very beneficial. The new employees expecting to be pulled, is not as bad as if they were never oriented.

One of the rules of nursing is being flexible. I am currently a Med Surg charge nurse, cross trained in all fields of nursing. I have been pulled to, wherever I am needed.........wherever. Nursing is NURSING. Is taking care of a a patient on a balloon pump more important than basic wound care on an ulcer? Is recovering a patient from surgery more important than handing a newborn to it's mother? Nursing, is NURSING, it is all important, and as far as I am concerned, none of it is demoralizing. How is knowing more units, and more nursing not beneficial?!?!? The ability to float between units, and care about people is a gift. I think most nurses are just comfortable in their own settings, but if they would take a "float" as a challenge, a challenge to do, everything, and ALL things ,just as importantly, it wounldn't be such an issue. I don't agree with the "pull" heirarcy, and being charge nurse, I try to send each of my nurses to the different units with enthusiam, and an attitude of knowledge expansion is the best.

I agree with nene. Yellow, brown, green, some mildly black. sometimes pink, is all to be expected. However, blood, no.

I say dialysis tech. LPN, been there, done that, got 11$/hour, and the nursing assistants at night made more than me. But do get your RN, it is worth it. Worth all the work I went through.

I am happy to have found this site. I was also wondering about charge nurse duties and responsibilities. I currently and a full time charge nurse on a 34 bed Med/Surg unit. Our patient ratio is 7:1, with no regard for acuity. I start my shift with or without patients, but always end with a full load. I have no more than 2 RNs- regarless of patient numbers, and am responsible for all the LPN duties/patients, as well as bed assignments, hanging of blood, admit assessments, rounding with MDs, being the resource person and advisor, and taking care of my own 7 patients. I am at my wits end with this staffing pattern but have no control over it. I have written more occurence and concern reports than I care to mention, and at the end of each day am completley exhausted. I never sit, use the restroom, eat or drink on an entire 12 hour shift. I leave everyday feeling like I am inadequate, or having the feeling, "if I could have done more". I need to do something, and soon, I just don't know what it is. I have talked to my administrative director time and time again, and cannot get anything done. Any advice?????????