Learning to Lead: From Staff Nurse to Charge Nurse (5 Hours)

I decided to take a bit of a longer course that was very specific to nurse leadership. This course took 5 hours to complete. The purpose of the course was "to inform nurses about the key elements of management, focusing particularly on skills that enable nurses to coordinate resources and achieve desired outcomes in patient care settings. These resources may be staff, technological or financial in nature. After studying the information presented here, you will be able to -

1. Describe key aspects of the environment in which nurses assume management roles and functions, and how the climate influences care giving and management practices.
2. Depict the transitions that nurses make—either temporarily or permanently—from the role of caregiver to the role of manager.
3. Identify supervisory practices that promote good performance, workforce commitment and professional satisfaction.
4. Identify key skills that nurses will want to develop to excel as managers—whether they are managers for the shift or managers in full-time management positions.
5. Describe important interpersonal and coaching skills such as communication, delegation and feedback that promote mutual respect and solid teamwork.
6. Discuss ways to evaluate outcomes at the end of your shift.
7. Demonstrate an understanding of how to control costs on your unit."

One of the first things this course explored was the importance of a nurse manager understanding the mission and values of the company. Three charge nurses' experiences were then shown as they took on the role of a charge nurse. The role of a charge nurse includes planning, organizing, critical thinking, conflict management, and relationship management. The next charge nurse's experience focused on the role a charge nurse plays as a coach and communicator. A coach is different then a boss in that a coach lifts and supports instead of drives and pushes. Essential skills for a charge nurse to have include:
"Open lines of communication between staff and supervisory nurses
Respect and credibility among team members
Clear statements demonstrating desired outcomes and processes for achieving them
Good listening skills among all parties to a given communication
Well-articulated requests, responses, statements and questions that convey
important information to both parties."
As part of communication, nurses need to be able to listen to those they manager.

The next part of the course talked about delegation and teamwork. Both are essential skills for a successful charge nurse to have. Delegation and teamwork are needed to reach the goals of the unit. The authors of the course also discussed evaluation. Much like the nursing process, evaluation is important in leading a unit. Evaluation can help the charge nurse identify needs in the unit.

Overall this course was very educational. It took me through the steps that are required for a staff nurse to make the transition to the role of a charge nurse. The leadership skills discussed were explored in much detail.