Who Is a Charge Nurse and What Are the Duties and Responsibilities of a Charge Nurse?

If you are considering becoming a charge nurse, then your interest in the nursing profession goes far beyond patient care. Charge nurses are responsible for overseeing specific departments and performing many duties that lead to the smooth running of a unit.

Although charge nurses may have bedside responsibilities, they must also coordinate schedules and assign different duties and responsibilities to each nurse. If you want to become a charge nurse in Canada, you will need to make sure that admissions and discharges go smoothly, while keeping track of supplies and medications. In this blog let us explore the duties and responsibilities of a charge nurse.

Who is a charge nurse?

A registered nurse who is responsible for overseeing a particular department or unit is called a charge nurse. As a nurse manager, a charge nurse may assign nursing tasks and duties, coordinate schedules, monitor admissions and discharges, and oversee the supply and demand of medications and supplies.

Charge nurse duties focus on anticipating problems before they arise, advocating for clinical nursing staff, keeping the unit humming, etc. A charge nurse can have a major impact on a nursing unit. Charge nurses provide both patient care and leadership for their unit, department or shift. 

What are the responsibilities and duties of a charge nurse?

As a charge nurse, your main responsibilities include ordering supplies, scheduling nursing duties for others on your shift and delegating responsibilities, while also interacting regularly with patients and their families. You will be responsible for continuing to provide care while also being the person who oversees admissions and discharges. You will be the person to whom family members and patients can address concerns and issues as they arise.

Nursing in Canada is strengthened by Charge Nurses who work in different facilities or wherever there are nursing units that require a minimum of orientation, organisation and supervision for new staff. A charge nurse's responsibilities may vary depending on the unit in which they work, but may include the following:

• Supervising and mentoring nurses whenever necessary.
• Monitoring staffing requirements.
• Creating rosters and assigning patients to nurses.
• Acting as a liaison between nurses, patients, families, doctors, management and other patients.
• Conducting performance appraisals and interviews.
• Delegating tasks and coordinating patient care.
• Ordering and monitoring medical supplies, drugs and other resources.
• Providing regular and periodic reports.
• Ensuring compliance with policies, legislation and procedures and keeping abreast of policy changes.
• Disciplining nursing staff as necessary.
• Supervising the admission, discharge and transfer of patients.
• Assisting other nurses with difficult patients.
• Investigating patient complaints.
• Signing off on staffing documentation, including competency assessments and staffing budgets.
• Ensuring a safe atmosphere for patient care.

As a charge nurse, you must have excellent communication, organisational and leadership skills. It is also important to be able to make decisions, evaluate patient care, resolve conflicts and anticipate problems before they arise. Charge nurses are recruited for nursing jobs because of their willingness to solve problems as they arise. Charge nurses should demonstrate professionalism and dedication at all times.

How do you become a charge nurse?

Becoming a charge nurse gives you a broad exposure to many aspects of patient care. Charge nurses are required to demonstrate competence and compassion at the bedside, as well as for coordinating staffing and supplies. As a charge nurse, you will be the first person to liaise between hospital management and the team on the floor.

To be an efficient charge nurse, you will need to know everything that goes into being a registered nurse, coupled with years of experience to demonstrate the personal and professional attributes that the position requires.

To become a charge nurse, you must first obtain a bachelor's or master's degree in nursing so that you can become a registered nurse by passing the NCLEX RN exam.

Once you have become a registered nurse, it is time to get some experience. Therefore, your focus should be on gaining clinical nursing experience. If you want to become a charge nurse in a specific area, you can pursue certifications in that area to gain experience and enhance your skills.

Finally, and most importantly, you should develop and demonstrate leadership skills. If you want to be promoted to the role of charge nurse, you will need to demonstrate that you are an organised and empathetic individual with leadership skills. Charge nurses are multi-tasking professionals with the ability to remain calm under pressure. The ability to communicate clearly and compassionately is also important for a charge nurse’s success as they need to work with families and other healthcare professionals at all levels.

Conclusion

Moving into the position of charge nurse is a significant moment in the professional life of a Registered Nurse. If you are interested to work as a Charge nurse in Canada, contact our experts at MWT Education Consultancy who will guide you throughout the process.