being put "in charge" w/ no training

[mightymitern]

hi everyone,

Question, how does your facility handle putting nurses as "charge nurses?"

I went to work last week and was Charge for the shift. I did not complain because this is how our facility does it, but I have had no training and have only been on the floor for 11 months. I am still asking questions of more knowledgable and experienced nurses, now I am in charge of 42 pt's, watching tele's, running people to ct scan, mri and whatnot. I also had to make the schedule for the night shift and the following day shift. I also needed to choose the charge nurse for the overnight shift which everybody pretty much reused until the only one left was a new nurse, finally one of the other nurses stepped up (thank goodness) and took it. I came home that night a wreck because I felt inadequate in this position, and felt I forgot things that the charge nurse should have done. I did not know I was charge until I got to work that day, we change charge nurses every shift, and everyone takes turns which is fine, we should know what it feels like.

This is not something I became a floor nurse to do, I spent the last 20 years of my life in management positions, retail and food, but I don't feel confident enout YET to do it here. I understand this is not management, but we are still in charge of the floor for that shift.

Are there other facilities that do the same or do nurses usually take a class or want to be charge?

[cardiacmadeline, RN]

Sounds to me a pretty rotten way to put people in charge. A charge nurse needs to be someone experienced and knowledgeable, able to get along with coworkers, and has the respect of their coworkers. To just be thrown in to charge is not fair. You should have training with an experienced charge nurse. I agree with you, I think that 11 months is way too soon to be thrown into charge. We have a few nurses on each shift that do charge all the time, so it is generally the same people most of the time. To train, we spend about 3 shifts training with an experienced charge nurse. Our supervisor first asks if you are willing to do charge. Our facility also offers a charge nurse class.

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

Lot's of places do this. Often no one wants to be charge and then it goes to the person who doesn't yell "no" loud enough. Many times charge gets no training.

Obviously a place that trains their charges is going to be run more efficiently.

My fear is that as charge you are ultimately responsible for all that goes on in the unit so be very careful.

[nlhnurse1982]

I feel your frustration I was made charge after 8 months which scared me to death. I was given no training and even worse our floor has no report for the charge nurse. The floor is a 37 bed tele med/surg floor so pretty busy. I have now been a nurse for not quite 2 years and I still have not had any formal training even though I have requested to attend the class that is given from time to time. I would talk to your manager and just tell her that you feel that you are still learning and trying to find confidence in your practice and see if you can get out of it for now or at least be given some kind of training. Just do the best you can and if you feel a situation comes up that you can't handle call the house supervisor. Good Luck!

[mightymitern]

thank you to all who replied

[nursemike, ASN, RN]

I'm not someone who busts people for grammar, but "in charge" shouldn't be in quotation marks. Not because of grammar, but because if you're assigned charge, you really are in charge, with all the liabilities that entails.

So, you really should have some training. I didn't get a lot. Three nights of orientation with another charge nurse, and eventually ACLS. But we also have charge nurse meetings about every month, and you learn a bit, there, and there are usually another nurse or two on the shift who've done it. But there has been a fair amount of trial-and-error learning, so I can relate.

I managed to duck this honor for four years, and I don't know of anyone who has been put in charge with less than a year's experience under their belt. We actually have to apply for charge status. On my application, under "Reason for wanting to do charge" I put: guilt. Because the same nurse had been doing it every weekend of her life for several months. We're usually "free," with no patient assignment. I've had to take an admission or two a few times, but only once with a full assignment, during a weather emergency. And I take turns with another nurse on weekend nights, so neither of us has gotten entirely sick of it, although we both agree some of the novelty has worn off.

Good luck. The scary thing is, I've been taught that my license is responsible for every patient on the floor, which is why I brought up the quotation marks. (Of course, the primary nurse still has primary responsibility.) But, the other thing is, the same is true of your nurse manager's license, so it would behoove her to make sure you have the tools you need to protect your license--and hers!

[Tuesday38]

hi everyone,

Question, how does your facility handle putting nurses as "charge nurses?"

I went to work last week and was Charge for the shift. I did not complain because this is how our facility does it, but I have had no training and have only been on the floor for 11 months. I am still asking questions of more knowledgable and experienced nurses, now I am in charge of 42 pt's, watching tele's, running people to ct scan, mri and whatnot. I also had to make the schedule for the night shift and the following day shift. I also needed to choose the charge nurse for the overnight shift which everybody pretty much reused until the only one left was a new nurse, finally one of the other nurses stepped up (thank goodness) and took it. I came home that night a wreck because I felt inadequate in this position, and felt I forgot things that the charge nurse should have done. I did not know I was charge until I got to work that day, we change charge nurses every shift, and everyone takes turns which is fine, we should know what it feels like.

This is not something I became a floor nurse to do, I spent the last 20 years of my life in management positions, retail and food, but I don't feel confident enout YET to do it here. I understand this is not management, but we are still in charge of the floor for that shift.

Are there other facilities that do the same or do nurses usually take a class or want to be charge?

I was a charge nurse from the very first day I worked as an R.N. over 25 years ago. BSN programs require courses in management for student nurses. When you are in charge you are responsible for all the patients and all the staff working on that shift, you are the boss at this point. You can also be held responsible for any big mistakes your staff members make. I have never worked in a hospital that provided charge nurse training it is assumed as the R.N. you are capable of taking this role at any time.

[RNMLIS]

As a new RN, I was hired to work in LTC/psych in a hospital (not my dream job but a job in a hospital) I said yes but when I went in to tour the floor (they acted surprised that I wasnted to do that) I found out I was to be charge nurse. WHAT!!!! I was the RN the rest were LPNs. I expressed my concerns to no avail ND DID NOT TAKE THE JOB.

rIGHT OR WRONG - WHO KNOWS.

DID MY FEAR CLOSE A DOOR?

The door I walked into was the entrance to LTC/subacute hell. I guess the life lesson I needed was how to learn all about working in a toxic environment,

If I had gutted thro a 'charge' position my resume may have more substance that what it has now. It is what it is...no reqrets