Charge nurse qualities how to#
Charge nurse qualities trial#

And having a sense of humor always is important if a nurse wants to enjoy any job, she added. Having these skills helpsīesides problem-solving and critical thinking skills and a good clinical background, other important qualities for a charge nurse are curiosity and creativity, Habel said.

These nurses learn about organizational fiscal development and the importance of reimbursement, she said.

Charge nurse qualities how to#

“Having that charge nurse experience would be the first step on that ladder,” Habel said.Ĭareer-wise, a move to charge nursing is an ideal path for the nurse who wants to understand how the organization works and how to deal successfully with a larger group of patients, family members, providers and team members, Hasten said. It’s a positive career move for nurses wanting to become nurse managers or for those aspiring to be in nursing administration. “They become very good at that, and that’s where they’re happiest.” “They like to solve problems, not just clinical and patient problems but they like the decision making and problem solving that the charge nurse role requires,” she said. Habel has worked with nurses who became charge nurses and remained so for their entire careers. “That’s a very different role and a big step,” Habel said. It’s the difference between a role as a clinician for a particular set of patients and taking on more of a support role for optimizing nursing peers’ delivery of care. A good career moveĪccepting a position as a charge nurse is a watershed move in a nurse’s career, according to Habel. Nurses who are considering this role shouldn’t wait to get the job before they get the training, she said. If they don’t, staff might go beyond their scope of practice, for which the charge nurse can be held accountable, according to Hansten.

Charge nurse qualities trial#

The assumption that a good clinician will make a good charge nurse can lead to learning by trial and error at best and legal and reimbursement problems or job loss at worst, Hansten said.įor instance, nurses who come into the job unprepared might not assign patients correctly, which can result in poor patient care or budgetary issues that land the charge nurse in hot water.Ĭharge nurses also have to understand each staff member’s scope of practice. Good clinicians may be the very best nurses on the unit in terms of care, but it requires a different set of skills than being a supervisor or manager. Nurses often are promoted into a charge nurse role because they are good clinicians, but that’s not advisable, according to Habel. “It’s a pretty broad job description.” Clinical skills vs.

“ everything from making sure there is appropriate staffing to take care of patients’ needs, solving problems, and dealing with family issues or some of the human resource issues that staff may have,” said Habel, who has held several nursing roles, including that of charge nurse, nurse administrator and nurse educator.