Our medical center doesn’t have a permanent charge nurse model; rather, charge nurses are assigned on a rotating basis.
Until this initiative, the role wasn’t voluntary; all staff nurses were expected to assume the position if the need arose.
The majority of staff new to the charge nurse position said they didn’t have a clear understanding of the expectations for the role.
Some units had their own charge nurse descriptions; other units had none. Orientation to the role was inconsistent and unstructured. The vice president of partient care services responded to These concerns and identified a project leader who coordinated a task force to determine issues and develop strategies to address them.
The goals, as were to
• Provide role clarity
• Clearly define responsibilities and core competencies
• Provide a formalized orientation
• Develop a standardized handoff report.