Nursing is a second career for me. I initially went to school and wanted to be a Veterinarian. At the time, my grades weren’t that great, so after working in positions that an Associate and Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science allowed, I went back to school. My first nursing position was on a Medical-Surgical floor. The Med-Surg unit got me comfortable with my skills, knowledge, and experience. I briefly worked on an Orthopedic floor before I moved to a Medical-Telemetry Respiratory floor. I worked bedside for five years before I became a charge nurse.
Charge nursing was a logical step, and I already had experience with managing workers. I had spent years at a corporate pet store, and several of those I was an Animal Department Manager or a keyholder. I learned how to communicate with staff and figured out my style of Management before Charging on a hospital unit. I have also known to deal with the upward movement of workers to Management, a slight change in mentality needed to shift, the “them and us” division. I was able to apply many technics that I learned to work best for me to my current position.
Confidence in my job and experiences I had picked up on the five years of bedside nursing and nursing through the pandemic, I dismissed many doubts about my abilities but always remembered where your weakness lay. The confidence, knowledge, and experience enabled me to make choices in the moment that I rely on and without a doubt. In the Charge position, I see now more than before, most nurses, no matter their own experience, want confirmation on their own decisions when caring for patients. So, don’t be afraid to ask another nurse for their opinion of the new nurses. Don’t worry; everyone does it.
The floor as a whole is managing the Nurses, the CNAs, or Techs while getting information from the unit manager or the house supervisor to make changes to the assignment or send someone to another unit. Nursing is about being flexible to every change, and Charge Nursing continues that flexibility each shift.
Are you a charge or supervisor? Do you want to be one?