Useless "charge" nurse

4 I work on Med Surg for the moment and my floor has all the physch and drug addicts. Needless to say, very hard to deal with. I have a "charge" nurse who loves to remind everyone that he is in fact the charge nurse. However, when things get crazy and we are all running around trying to get stuff done, or trying to finish up w/ our patients to prepare for shift change, he's there, reading, cruising the net, answering the call lights and yelling over his shoulder for whomever has the pt. "bed 2 needs pain meds" etc. And returns to his browsing!!!! I swear to Christ I'm gonna lose my mind over this!!!!! Would you not feel guilty for acting like that? As a team leader, why would one not want to help the team?
He must have transferred from the Tele floor at a local hospital here. Except when he was here he wouldn't even answer the call lights. :|

I can't understand being in charge and not getting out and seeing patients. Makes no sense. If a butt needs cleaning, there's a great chance to do an assessment...someone need to go to the bathroom, ok- let's go. Someone can't feed themselves, I'll do it....(or did when I was working). Granted, the phone got in the way a lot, but if I could help, I did. I hated the call lights- so would rather go deal with them than track down someone who was already busy... I had plenty to do, but I could also incorporate my assessments into call light/care issues..... Good luck, OP.... :heartbeat

Wow sounds just like my unit except its a "she" who never lifts a finger to help and just yells from her chair. I work both the floor and relief charge so totally know what both sides are like. So when I do charge covering her days off or the uncovered shifts I totally am out there helping when I can.

Quote from MedicJohnWould you not feel guilty for acting like that? As a team leader, why would one not want to help the team?

I work nights so I don't have a charge nurse. What exactly is their role?

His butt seems to be velcroed to the chair. Let your NM know. UNACCEPTABLE!

I'd either be letting the NUM/DON know, or, as is typical of me, I would be confronting him. I would be saying something like can you get off the net and come help with (whatever)? And if this person continually refused, I would be telling them I'll be making a written complaint.I've found the best way for me anyway, is to tackle people like this head on. It doesn't make for a comfortable working environment, but the threat of reporting someone, or continually TELLING them they need to help out usually jolts them into action.The situations sucks. Let us know how u get on anyway, & hope it all gets better.

I'd choose my battles carefully. Is this lazy creeper "IN" with the manager??? If so........to slay the golden child my put your job at risk....I would get very busy in my patients rooms and be very busy myself. SOmetimes you just can't beat city hall......Good luck

Davey, thanks..thats goin on my facebook!!!! Great quote!!!!

I agree with Carol. I would call him out. Tell him you need him to give the pain medication so you can harvest your crops on farmville (or something equally stupid).

I worked in a few units with Charge Nurses who did nothing, but assign patients to the incoming staff. Complaints didn't help, as they were the sweethearts of the department. Hospital? Never again.

I've seen this situation again and again in the UK, which is why I prefer the system here in France where there is no nurse in charge. Each nurse takes on the responsibility for their own group of patients and sees to the total co-ordination of things, liaising with docs, families, social workers etc. There are nurse managers who see to things like staffing rotas, ordering supplies, hiring and firing etc. but they are essentially administrative and non-clinical, hence you just don't get this "charge nurse" on the floor doing nothing. All nurses on the floor are equal. If you're on the floor, you take your share of the patients and you work, and you help each other out where necessary. Yes, of course you can get some nurses less willing to help colleagues in difficulity - laziness exists everywhere sadly. But no floor nurse can avoid patient care with the "nurse in charge" scam. I thought it was strange to have no nurse in charge when I first arrived from the UK, but now I'm used to it and frankly, I think it works better.