Team Leader and Charge Nurse Differences

tewdles, RN · Oct 26, 2009

I work in hospice. LPNs teach all of the time. Team leaders and charge nurses are very similar dependent upon your setting and employer. They are primarily the first line of "management" for clinical staff.

ohmeowzer RN, RN · Oct 26, 2009

team leaders are usually LPN's .. charge nurses are RN's .. in one nursing home i worked part time in , when there was no RN assigned to that unit they had a LPN who was a team leader, but had to ask a RN to come assess a patient if the patient had a change in condition. the team leader could not make the decision to send the patient out to the hospital only the RN made that decision...the team leader was just basically over the other LPN on the floor and the CNA... the RN was really in charge and made all the decisions that the team leader followed... the charge was RN's only .. team leaders really just passed meds and looked after the hallway...they got paid nomore for being a team leader , the charge recieved $2.50 more an hour...

i did quit that job , because i had 6 kids and just couldn't do it with my full time job.. but i loved hte job because i just did paper work and when the team leader called me i came over to check the patient and the LPN team leader called the doc and did everything else... i just decided the pt 's status... i also did the pushes the team leader couldn't do like narcs and digoxin ectra... easy ....

i did do diabetic teaching , the facility did not allow the LPN;s to do teaching , so i did some diabetic teaching and meds upon discharge , the LPN's did the rest of the work....

i love LPN's and they are nurses and should be allowed to teach ... it depends on the facility where you work ,,, the LPN's i worked with there was so nice and i loved them.. they felt they could do the same work i did .. and i agree ( except for the pushes) .. it's a shame the way LPN's are treated... i know some of them went and complained they were doing all the work while the RN's were not doing as much... and the company told them " go back and get your RN if you want the job, we have alot of applicants that will do the work.. LPN's can be replaced" i quit after that.. how cruel, to say that.. made me sick....

needless to say the LPN's are still working there doing the same job....i still talk to a few girls ... nothing has changed or may have gotten worse for the LPN's because they do some aid work now....

miss81, BSN, RN · Oct 26, 2009

At my hospital the Team Leader and Charge Nurse are the same thing in the day time. The team leader works 8-4 and is the "charge nurse". After 4pm there is an RN who acts as the charge nurse. Only RN's (at my facility) can be team leaders and charge nurses. The team leader is suppose to be in charge and also the "expert" who staff nurses can go to for advice and assistance.

caliotter3 · Oct 26, 2009

At one place where I worked, when they changed owners, our job titles changed from "charge nurse" to "team leader". There were virtually no differences in how we were treated on a day to day basis. Don't remember the job description being very different.

caliotter3 · Oct 26, 2009

LVNs in home health are required to teach if they are the nurses staffing the extended care cases. We get talked to if our documentation does not show teaching is taking place.

snowmaiden2005 · Nov 3, 2009

Thanks guys! I do appreciate all the input. :) Definitely gives me some direction.