Charge Nurse
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Charge Nurse
Written by Coursera • Updated on Aug 8, 2022
Written by Coursera • Updated on Aug 8, 2022
© 2022 Coursera Inc. All rights reserved.
A charge nurse is a registered nurse who also serves as a leader during a nursing shift. From nursing education to leadership skills, learn what it takes to become a charge nurse, what the job is like, and if it might be the right career choice for you.
A charge nurse is a registered nurse (RN) who leads a nursing unit during a shift or specific period.
Charge nurses undergo additional training to gain deeper leadership abilities, which they use alongside strong clinical and human skills while performing their managerial responsibilities. Charge nurses must be willing make critical decisions, take responsibility, and be good planners and coordinators.
Learn more about what a charge nurse does, the benefits of choosing this career, and the typical educational requirements you decide to embark on this exciting career.
Charge nurses pair patient care with managerial leadership. Unlike some administrative positions in health care, such as clinical managers, charge nurses continue working with patients while also occupying a leadership position.
From moment-to-moment, a charge nurse's responsibilities may change. While one hour you may be overseeing a nursing unit, another you might be working directly with patients, creating schedules, assigning nurses, handling admissions and discharges, managing supplies and medications, or addressing any of the many other problems that may arise during a shift.
Typically, nurses who decide to become charge nurses are those who wish to take on more responsibility and become leaders in their fields. While there are many paths you can take in the nursing field, such as becoming a nurse practitioner or a nurse anesthetist , charge nurses have the unique responsibility of leading, managing, and supporting other registered nurses. You might also take this path if you enjoy making a difference in others' lives or are simply looking for a career that offers variety.
No two days will be alike when you're a charge nurse. Most importantly, you might choose this career path if you believe you're willing to take responsibility for and be accountable for what goes on within a nursing unit on a daily basis to ensure that patients get the best possible care.
Although a charge nurse and nurse manager's job descriptions may seem similar, they are two different careers. While both positions typically start as RNs, make positive differences in patients' lives, and require years of experience and strong leadership skills, charge nurses and nurse managers have many different responsibilities.
Unlike charge nurses, nurse managers don't usually work directly with patients. Instead, they focus more on administrative and managerial duties, such as communicating with doctors, nurses, administrators, therapists, social workers, pharmacists, and various other medical professionals. During their shifts, nurse managers might focus their efforts on ensuring a nursing unit is within budget while managing support staff and other health care professional in their units. By contrast, a charge nurse might specifically focus on managing the nurses in their units and teaching new nurses how to administer IVs.
As such, nurse managers typically have more advanced education.
In some health care facilities, though, job duties for a charge nurse and nurse manager may overlap. Some facilities may have a charge nurse and a nurse manager on duty, or they may just have one or the other. Always consider each job description carefully when seeking a new career, and make sure you're up to the task for any duties you may be involved in.
Advance your Nursing Informatics Leadership Skills. Master nursing informatics leadership skills to achieve optimal outcomes across healthcare settings.
Nursing Informatics, Leadership knowledge, Organizational and Practice Insights, Foresight Leadership Skills, Leadership theory, Leadership, Nursing, exercise, Leadership Dynamics, Professional Development
Being a charge nurse provides many benefits, such as offering work variety, granting the chance to make a difference in others' lives, and potentially improving job satisfaction.
If you decide to pursue work as a charge nurse, then you'll not only have the opportunity to advance your career, but you'll also likely find that you're doing something that can be fulfilling and life-changing.
When you work as a nurse, each day will typically be unique. Even if you work in one department and focus on the same issues every day, such as labor and delivery, each patient will bring their own set of challenges and needs.
This is especially true for charge nurses. Not only are you serving unique patients every day, but you're also working with a team of nurses with their own unique abilities and challenges. With so many responsibilities, those pursuing a career as a charge nurse can expect to be stimulated both physically and mentally every time they go to work.
Simply becoming a registered nurse offers many personal benefits. In fact, every time you don your scrubs, you have the opportunity to make a difference in another person's life.
As a charge nurse, you'll continue to help both patients and their loved ones while also extending your support to other nurses in your unit. If your unit is well-organized and well-staffed, you’ll benefit from a more favorable environment for both nurses and patients. Not only will you help your own patients through hands-on care, but you'll help ensure your unit is running smoothly, which can lead to better overall care for all administered patients.
As a charge nurse, you can help make a hospital or clinic a place where nurses are happy to be at work and patients receive compassionate, quality care.
Becoming a charge nurse might improve your overall job satisfaction, particularly if you're looking for a career move that provides increased responsibilities and leadership opportunities. As a charge nurse, you'll also be tasked with solving problems, making big decisions, and improving the operations of your nursing units.
It's also considered a positive move for a registered nurse who wants to learn more about how an organization works. It's your opportunity to gain new experiences. In addition to your clinical work, you'll learn more about scheduling, budgets, communication, and management.
There is no typical day for a charge nurse, especially if you work in a hospital setting. However, not all charge nurses work in hospitals, and not all of them have the same responsibilities.
Let's look at the most typical work settings you might encounter, the everyday duties many charge nurses share, the skills you'll need to become a charge nurse, and the job outlook and salary information.
Charge nurses typically work in hospitals, usually in a particular unit like labor and delivery, surgery, intensive care, or the emergency department. However, you can work in other medical settings, like clinics, doctor's offices, nursing homes, dialysis centers, rehabilitation facilities, home health care agencies, and urgent care. Jobs can be full-time, part-time, or as needed.
A charge nurses responsibilities will vary from job to job. Since some facilities will have a charge nurse and a nurse manager, while others will just have a charge nurse, you may handle various clinical and administrative tasks. These could include:
Supervising and supporting other nurses and unit staff
Creating staffing schedules and assigning nurses to patients or tasks
Training new hires or implementing new programs with existing staff
Overseeing safety compliance and ensuring that organizational regulations are met
Meeting with administrators to discuss staff members and patient care successes and failures
Handling admissions and discharges
Monitoring supplies and ordering new ones as needed
Caring for patients yourself as required, such as when a nurse on your team is unable to complete a task
Providing guidance and advice to your team of nurses
Monitoring patients' conditions and intervening when necessary
Intervening in volatile situations involving patients, their loved ones, or staff members
Understanding each nurse's talents, abilities, and weaknesses and using them appropriately
Updating, revising, and approving patient care plans
Coordination with the nurse manager and other staff members
Checking the environment of the unit or patients' rooms for safety hazards
Ensuring medical equipment is functioning properly
Leadership skills are a must if you want to be a charge nurse. Your team of nurses, patients, and other staff members will look to you for guidance when something goes wrong or when they're unable to answer a question themselves.
You'll also need strong clinical skills as you may need to step in when a nurse on your team doesn't know what to do to help a patient. There are many other critical human skills you can gain and improve on to ensure you can successfully fulfill the job requirements and enjoy being a charge nurse. These include:
Staying flexible so you can handle whatever comes your way
Communicating and coordinating with patients, patients' loved ones, nurses, physicians, and other support staff
Evaluating situations constantly and making adjustments as needed
It can also be advantageous for a charge nurse to be creative and curious, and a good sense of humor can help you through some of the most trying health care situations.
According to Glassdoor, a charge nurse in the United States makes $83,504
in base pay per year on average, but you could make a total of $103,003 . That means you could earn up to $19,498 in bonuses, supplemental, or additional compensation [ 1 ].
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that all health care jobs expect a growth rate of 16 percent between 2020 and 2030, which is much faster than the projected average job growth rate [ 2 ]. That includes a 9 percent growth rate for registered nurses [ 3 ]. If you are already a registered nurse or want to become one, then working towards career advancement, like becoming a charge nurse, may add even more job security.
Being a charge nurse starts with becoming a registered nurse and includes gaining experience and leadership skills. While there's no specific training for a charge nurse, those who wish to embark on this career typically follow a similar path.
Before you can become a charge nurse, you must first become a registered nurse. You must earn an associate's or bachelor's degree in nursing from an accredited institution, which can take two and four years. Once you do this, you'll need to pass the National Council Licensure Examination for registered nurses (NCLEX-RN). [ 4 ]
You may choose to go on and earn a bachelor's or master's degree in nursing if you haven't already, especially if you know you want to advance your career in the future. Many hospitals and clinics prefer to hire charge nurses that have at least a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Some states require a registered nurse to hold a bachelor's degree.
Once you've passed the NCLEX-RN, you'll need to become licensed in your state to become a practicing registered nurse. Each state has unique requirements for nursing licenses, so always check to make sure you're doing what's required as you embark on your nursing career.
Charge nurses do not necessarily need any sort of licensure or certification beyond this to do their jobs. However, the organization where you work may have special requirements. For example, you will likely need to be certified in CPR or basic life support, and you may need specialty credentials, such as pediatric or cardiac life support.
Once you've become a registered nurse, your professional experience is where you can really take steps to become a charge nurse. You'll need to spend about three to five years working as a registered nurse in a clinical setting. During that time, you may want to decide on a nursing specialty, like labor and delivery or intensive care, and work on gaining as many skills as you can in this area. This is also a great time to advance your education and hone your leadership skills.
Concerning leadership skills, there are many things you can do to develop them while you're gaining nursing experience. First, become a lifelong learner. Whether you're seeking an advanced degree, taking courses , or adding certifications to your resume, adding to your knowledge shows that you're committed to your career.
Next, focus on your strengths and weaknesses if there are areas where you could improve, work on them. Find ways to let the areas where you excel shine. Join community and professional organizations. Seek mentors, and once you have some experience, mentor those around you. Finally, keep a positive attitude and maintain your value system.
One of the best ways to advance your nursing career is to continue learning and improving your skill set. Coursera offers flexible, online courses that help you learn about patient-centered care, pain management, mindfulness, leadership, and other topics important to being a charge nurse.
Take career-specific specializations, such as Integrative Nursing and Nursing Informatics Leadership Specialization , from top institutions like the University of Minnesota today.
Advance your Nursing Informatics Leadership Skills. Master nursing informatics leadership skills to achieve optimal outcomes across healthcare settings.
Nursing Informatics, Leadership knowledge, Organizational and Practice Insights, Foresight Leadership Skills, Leadership theory, Leadership, Nursing, exercise, Leadership Dynamics, Professional Development
1. Glassdoor. " RN Charge Nurse Salaries , https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/rn-charge-nurse-salary-SRCH_KO0,15.htm." Accessed July 12, 2022.
2. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Healthcare Occupations , https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm." Accessed July 12, 2022.
3. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Registered Nurses , https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm#tab-1." Accessed July 12, 2022.
4. NCSBN. “ NCLEX & Other Exams , https://www.ncsbn.org/nclex.htm." Accessed July 12, 2022.
This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.
RegisteredNursing.org Staff Writers | Updated/Verified: May 6, 2022
A charge nurse is an RN who is essentially ‘in charge' of a ward in the hospital or other healthcare facility during their shift. These nurses perform many of the tasks that general nurses do, but also have some supervisory duties. Aside from caring for patients, the charge nurse ensures that everything is going smoothly during a shift and coordinates between the staff nurses and physicians or hospital administrators. These nurses delegate tasks, prepare schedules, and monitor admissions and discharges. A mix of clinical experience, communication, and solid leadership skills are needed to excel in this position.
Once a degree and RN licensure is earned, RNs will generally need a minimum of 3-5 years of experience in a clinical setting before they can get hired as a charge nurse. Since charge nurses can work in different wards or departments, gaining experience in a particular specialty (like ICU, labor and delivery, etc.) is a good idea if an RN thinks they may want to eventually become a charge nurse in that niche.
The following are typical skills mentioned in charge nurse job descriptions. Exact requirements can fluctuate based on the state and the employer, but in general, those looking to become charge nurses will want to be able to do the following:
To search and apply for open charge nurse positions, visit our job boards.
Hospitals and other health facilities typically hire charge nurses who hold at least a BSN degree and have passed the NCLEX-RN . RNs with higher degrees, such as an MSN degree, may stand out more to employers, since this position requires a higher amount of knowledge and responsibility. Experience is also important, and up to 5 years of clinical RN experience may be required for some charge nurse jobs, so this is not necessarily a career choice geared toward new nurse grads.
There is no credential or certification specific to charge nurses, but many have other certifications. Basic life support, pediatric life support , advanced cardiac life support , and CPR certifications are all either required or preferred for RNs applying to charge nurse positions. Charge nurses in specialty units may also need to earn credentials or certifications specific to that department.
Charge nurses are needed in many different medical settings. Aside from hospitals, charge nurses can be employed in medical clinics, physician's offices, nursing homes, urgent care clinics, and other specialized medical care facilities. A small amount of travel may be necessary in this position due to the managerial aspects of the job, as charge nurses are sometimes required to attend offsite meetings.
Many healthcare facilities offer charge nurse positions to nurses who have clinical experience, as well as experience in leadership (i.e., nurses who have acted in a relief charge nurse role or have demonstrated leadership abilities as a staff nurse). In some cases, a BSN is preferred, but this is dependent on the facility.
Charge nurses can work in a variety of settings such as:
A quick search for “charge nurse” through this RN job board yielded thousands of results - from full-time to part-time and on-call, the opportunities were plentiful. These postings usually do not include internally-posted positions within a facility. It's important for nurses to ask around to find which organizations offer charge nurse positions, as some have gone toward nurse manager-led departments as opposed to charge nurse-led departments.
Regardless, nurses have clinical advancement opportunities readily available in many health care settings, including the charge nurse role. Nurses who are flexible, organized, and adapt well to change would make excellent charge nurses.
Charge nurses manage many aspects of busy hospital wards or medical facilities. They supervise the staff nurses, coordinate care, oversee treatment, and handle lots of paperwork. Aside from the supervisory role of their jobs, charge nurses are also on the floor seeing patients themselves and may need to take charge when an emergency arises. Charge nurses must also be knowledgeable about their employer's policies and procedures and ensure that they are carried out properly by staff.
Charge nurses can expect to earn between $50,400 and $90,523 annually, with the median salary landing at $68,863 per year. Type of employer, location, and the RN's level of education and experience will determine exact salary.
Registered nursing in general is an in-demand profession, and charge nurses are no exception. Skilled charge nurses who possess a mix of clinical and managerial expertise are needed to guide staff nurses in increasingly complex and busy medical settings. A charge nurse is an excellent "next step" career for an ambitious RN who has gained valuable experience and is looking to take on more responsibility.
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