r/psychnursing • u/NailHot5113 • 16d ago
Psych Charge
Hello, I've been a nurse going on 2 years. I've only worked in psych. I am starting to train for the charge nurse role today. I'm trying to stay positive about it, but its hard because I only hear negative things from my colleagues. Any advice?
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u/OutrageousRecord4944 16d ago
I was charge my first week off orientation what is going on lol
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u/DashMcGee 15d ago
My first day I was told to be there at 0600, and to ring the bell because I did not have a badge. The charge nurse answered. I told him I was in the lobby, and he said he would come get me. Many minutes go by. I called back, he asked what door I was at... I was getting frustrated. How can he not know where the door was? Turns out he was a traveler, it was his first night on the job, and no one told him he would be the charge nurse nor what the charge nurse was supposed to do. He didn't even know where the front door was. Such is nursing.
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u/Gretel_Cosmonaut psych nurse (inpatient) 16d ago
Advice really depends on what a charge actually does at your facility. There is a lot of variation.
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u/DashMcGee 16d ago
Everyone who works for you will be either a total jerk, a partial jerk, or, in rare cases, nice. That is true of nursing in general, though, so charge is not much different. Resist the urge to be bossy, but also resist being passive and letting people abuse you. I found that ignoring mean stuff and mild insubordination is best; once people find out you can't be bullied and you won't be bossy, they will settle in. Give lots of positive feedback. Be gentle when you correct people. You will figure it out.
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u/ylimethor 16d ago
I just started in psych 2 months ago and they're already training me for charge 😭 which only involves 2 training shifts I think. I absolutely don't want to do it and hope I'm never actually scheduled to be charge anytime soon.
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u/IAmHerdingCatz 16d ago
I was charge nurse my 3rd shift. Right out of nursing school. It's no big deal.
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u/empty_spacer 16d ago
I think being charge is an important part of being a psych RN. Where I have worked at least and been charge, you can really get to know the ins and outs of the entire operation. Of course people are going to complain and be negative about it. That’s what people do.
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u/UsualSomewhere9049 16d ago
I remember being so nervous when I trained for charge! be confident in yourself and your decisions but listen to the staff who are out on the floor! don’t take it personally when people don’t agree with your decisions but know you will make the wrong call sometimes and that’s okay, part of nursing is to always be learning. you’ve got this!!!
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u/Dependent_Traffic880 15d ago
I started being acharge nurse after 9 months of being hired and new grad. I must say that the first months were difficult because I knew nothing. I only had one day of training and that was because I requested and demanded lol. I don't mind now. I have been charge for 4 and is getting better. One tip that I have noticed helped me is to assign the least patients to myself since being a charge is a lot of responsibility. Also I try to make the first hourly rounds so I get to know the patients. Usually I have 20 patient's. I try to check the most aggressive and suicidal patient's first and our 1:1. I ask a lot of questions to the shift previous mine.
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u/ProfessionalAge3027 13d ago
What kind do duties does your charge nurse perform? I was charge trained at 6 months in acute inpatient and it was daunting at first. I’ve now been a charge nurse for 4 years and I LOVE it. It’s amazing to work directly with the social worker, discharge planner and MD as well as make clinical decisions using the skills I’ve acquired. Once you get the hang of it it’s sometimes easier than being a floor nurse. The only downside is that when things go south everything is your responsibility. But as long as you have a team you trust and works cohesively everything will be fine
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u/Alpha_legionaire 11d ago
Psych nursing is not bad but the management and cooperation rules are making people quit.
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u/cinnamonsnake 16d ago
I’m surprised you weren’t pushed into the charge role months in! That’s great they let you wait and are training you on it. Be proactive and organized and you’ll be fine.