A charge nurse works in clinical settings overseeing patient care and supervising nurses and other direct-care staff. The charge nurse role may be a permanent position for which a nurse is specifically hired—or a temporary role in which the nurse assumes the duties and responsibilities associated with being in charge of a patient care unit for a single shift.
What Does a Charge Nurse Do?
Since charge nurses are responsible for overseeing patient care provided by direct-care staff—including other nurses—charge nurses have a wide range of duties and responsibilities. In some instances, charge nurses are permitted to only focus on supervisory duties and are not expected to carry a patient assignment. However, in other instances, charge nurses are required to provide supervision and leadership for a patient care unit while also providing patient care. In light of the current nursing shortage, the latter may often be true. When this is the case, charge nurses typically have a patient care assignment that is less intense than the assignments of the other nurses on the unit.
Additionally, since charge nurses are registered nurses (RNs), state practice laws determine the scope of practice permitted when it comes to patient care. The setting in which care is provided also influences a charge nurse’s duties.
The duties of a charge nurse may include:
Creating staff schedules
Making patient assignments
Collaborating with other nurses and members of the direct-care staff
Assisting with patient admissions to the unit
Assisting with patient transfers or discharges from the unit
Providing triage and prioritization of patient care and staffing needs
Providing leadership and assistance during patient care emergencies
Collaborating with nursing managers and administrators, physicians, other patient care units, and various departments within the healthcare facility—such as respiratory therapy, radiology, laboratory services, and others
Ensuring adherence to best practices related to all aspects of patient care
Ensuring adherence to the healthcare facility’s policies and procedures
Ensuring adherence to federal, state, and local healthcare regulations
Direct patient care duties of a charge nurse may include:
Assessing and monitoring the patient’s status
Documenting the patient’s medical history and symptoms in the patient’s record
Creating and updating the patient’s plan of care
Collaborating with the patient and family
Administering medications and treatments
Performing various procedures
Operating and monitoring medical equipment
Providing patient and family education
How Much Does a Charge Nurse Make Per Year?
According to salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage for registered nurses was $77,600 in May 2021—with half of nurses earning more than that amount and half earning less. Wages of nurses in the lowest 10 percent were less than $59,450. Wages of nurses in the highest 10 percent were over $120,250.
The BLS does not provide a pay breakdown according to specialty but does provide median annual wages for registered nurses according to general categories of work location. Charge nurses work in settings that include hospitals, clinics, and skilled nursing facilities, so the following median annual wages may apply:
Hospitals: $78,070
Ambulatory healthcare services: $76,700
Nursing and residential care facilities: $72,420
Since charge nurses have a higher level of responsibility than the nurses they oversee, they may receive additional compensation above a registered nurse’s typical pay. If the charge nurse role is a permanent position, the higher level of compensation will likely be part of the nurse’s salary. However, if the charge nurse role is temporary—such as a nurse who serves as the charge nurse for a single shift—there may be a pay differential added to the nurse’s compensation for that shift.
The salary of a charge nurse is also influenced by factors such as education, experience, and geographical region of the country.
Charge nurses work in patient care settings in which coordination of the direct-care staff and oversight of patient care is required to help ensure optimal care provision. Most commonly, charge nurses work within hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and ambulatory care settings—including outpatient surgery centers and clinics.
Charge nurses are experienced nurses who possess the leadership skills necessary to provide effective oversight of a patient care unit to ensure optimal patient care. They must be efficient, organized, calm, and able to work at a fast pace. Charge nurses must also be great communicators and collaborators who take the needs of both patients and staff into consideration when making decisions.
Although there isn’t a specialty certification for charge nurses, being certified in a specialty area of nursing demonstrates a nurse’s clinical competency and willingness to go the extra mile to ensure practice excellence. Such nurses are often recognized as great candidates for the charge nurse role.
What Are the Benefits of Being a Charge Nurse?
A charge nurse can take great satisfaction in helping to ensure a patient care environment in which patients receive the excellent care they deserve. Additionally, an effective charge nurse benefits from the appreciation of colleagues who enjoy working in a calm and organized atmosphere that helps them focus on providing the best in patient care.
Depending upon the type of role involved, being a charge nurse may provide a sense of autonomy and offer higher compensation. Since charge nurses may face an array of ongoing challenges throughout a single shift, perhaps one of the greatest benefits is knowing what a positive difference they make each and every day.
Additional Resources About Becoming a Charge Nurse
To learn more about becoming a charge nurse, these additional resources may help:
NursingEducation strives to provide information that is up-to-date and unbiased. By engaging professionals from multiple healthcare perspectives, we ensure our content contains accurate information that helps our readers.
We have combined decades of experience teaching, publishing research, and working with patients in all fields of medicine to create accurate and straightforward online education. Once written, each article undergoes a rigorous peer-review process to bring you the highest quality, most comprehensive content possible.
Our writers receive feedback from reviewers to clarify content, prevent misleading statements, and identify areas that would benefit from more information. Our subject matter experts and reviewers generally work full-time in their professions and work for NursingEducation part-time.
