I'm really not so sure about this charge nurse thing. I was told when I arrived on a recent shift that I was to be in charge. I think I've done charge (maybe?) three times. Those times were only because there was no one available who did charge, and I was the most likely choice to do it. I haven't been trained or oriented to do charge. It was kind of a "toss her in there and do it" situation.
So, I did it again. Tossed in to be in charge. I need to be paired up with an experienced charge nurse for several shifts, before I can feel like I'm really doing things right. It's like I'm putting out fires left and right for the entire 8 hours.
Initial patient assignments........planning for emergencies (like a c-section, which takes 2-3 nurses off the floor).....readjusting those assignments and emergency contingencies when the patient population and acuity levels change yet again. Getting everyone dinner coverage. Making physicians happy about if they can do a non-urgent c-section now or later. Stat c-section on another patient (we actually did REALLY well on this one!). Walk-in patients who we had no idea were coming now need a nurse, and I have none left to spare.
Oh, and to top it all off? A call off for night shift. I try to call the on call manager to come in for nights, and she refuses. I call the nursing supervisor, and between the two of us, we make some last minute phone calls to try to get ANY nurse to cover ANY part of nights. No go. Argue back and forth with the on call manager, who really needs to come in, and she still refuses. Too bad, so sad. You're on call, and we can't get any other nurse to come in and we are poorly staffed as it is for nights, and now with a call off? You have to come in!
When I left, the night shift charge nurse was still arguing with the on call manager about her having to come in. How can a manager get away with refusing to come in, when she's on call? I just don't get it!! If it was a "regular" nurse on call, who refused to come in, she would be written up and reprimanded, possibly even put on suspension.
All of the above, plus the charge nurse taking care of patients too? Totally NOT worth the extra $1/hr. Not one bit.
10 comments:
At least you get an extra $1/ hr! Haha! At my hospital you get nothing extra to do charge! Not worth it!
OY!!! Whose the on-call manager's manager? That person oughtta get a little call too. That's disgusting.
So much for 24 hour accountability. Yeah, I would have had a little chat with the on-call administrator. That is why they get the big bucks.
"It's like I'm putting out fires left and right for the entire 8 hours."
Actually even for experienced charges that's the one-line job description.
Welcome to my world. :)
Doesn't sound like you did a bad job, either.
I've never liked being in charge, guess few really do that's why it's mostly a rotated position. To often when I was on the night shift and in charge I was chasing around the n/a to get them to take a few vs, trying to staff for the next shift and having to deal with all the hassle of a busy med. surg unit. I agree $1 an hr extra is crazy, my hosp. does some odd system where you get like $500 for the yr no matter how much you're in charge.
I used to do charge a lot...and I hated it. I like to do my work and mind my own business. ALL of it was done without orientation, plus we always had to take a patient or two. They were supposed to be "less time consuming" patients but you know how that goes on L&D. I think the worst is when you have only been working at a place for 6 months and they put you in charge... :(
The job i am in now....no in charge anymore due to where i work...altho i did do it for a while at the other office....and for the first time in my life - I actually got an orientation!
(and we used to only get 75 cents an hour for charge....i would always say it wouldn't even pay for the bottle of wine you would need at the end of the shift....)
Sounds like nursing problems are world wide because we have the same issues. Yeah our charge nurses only get an extra $1 an hour too and many of them hate being charge. You are right....that is all you do is put out fires. However, I'm not surprised about the manager's actions. Sometimes when nurses become managers they think they are above working the floors. You are right though.....if you would have refused to come in they would have probably reprimanded and no questions asked!
Sarah RN
Being charge is one of the most heavily weighted items on my facility's clinical ladder. That's the only reason I do it. We get $2 per hour, which appears better than the rest of the readers. The money isn't worth it. Headaches heartburn and the weight of responsibility are much more expensive than a couple bucks per hour...
I agree with the "It's like I'm putting out fires left and right for the entire 8 hours." only I do it for 12. Some nights are better than others though.
It's what you get used to. That's why we use primary charges who are charge pretty much all the time we work. You get a rhythm, get used to the job and those fires get easier to put out (at times).
And the on-call person? Not cool. Not cool at all. There is a special place reserved for them...karma sucks.
Post a Comment