Job Description

About Us

Title: Registered Nurse – Charge Nurse

MEDICAL

FLSA Status: Non-exempt

Job Code: 0943DM, 2379DM

Revision Date: October 2025

Department:

Our Mission Provide quality care and coordinated services that will improve the health of our communities.

Our Vision: To be the choice for care and careers in the communities we serve.

Our Values:

· Safety

· Compassion

· Integrity

· Excellence

· Innovation

· Accountability

· Diversity’ Equity and Inclusion

The Employee Promise As an employee, I am committed to doing my part to fulfill the mission, vision, and values of Decatur Morgan Hospital I will provide my patients, guests, coworkers, physicians, and customers with the highest quality of service and ensure their needs are met with the utmost courtesy and respect. This commitment must be reflected in my behavior.

Demonstrates through behavior Decatur Morgan Hospital’s mission, vision and values. The Charge Nurse is a registered nurse who provides leadership, coordination, and clinical support for nursing staff during assigned shifts. This role ensures safe, high-quality, and efficient patient care through effective staffing, communication, and collaboration with the interdisciplinary team. The Charge Nurse serves as a clinical resource, promotes adherence to hospital policies and standards, and facilitates smooth unit operations while maintaining a patient-centered focus.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills, Experience Required:

· Uses common sense and special medical skills to care for the sick

· Understands technical information from supervisors, charts, reference books, manuals and labels

· Uses eyes, ears, hands and fingers with skill

· Acts quickly in an emergency, rendering appropriate life-saving measures

· Communicates with people

· Change from one duty to another frequently

· Follow and/or give precise instructions

· Records and interprets information accurately

· Able to care for patients of all ages

· Demonstrates leadership skill / ability

· Current in BLS and ACLS

Reasoning, Mathematical and Language Development are indicative of the general level of development required to do this job. Some, but not necessarily all, areas mentioned in this section will be included in this job.

Reasoning Development:

Apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions. Deals with several abstract and concrete variables.

Mathematical Development:

Practical application of fractions, percentages, ratio and proportion in addition to basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division abilities.

Language Development:

Reading: Read scientific and technical journals, abstracts, and financial reports. Records data via paper and electronic means.

Speaking:

Communicates verbally using effective voice tone, diction and medical terminology.

RELATIONSHIPS TO DATA, PEOPLE AND THINGS:

Data:

Gathers, complies and classifies information about patients and other people. Analyzes and interprets data to carry out plan of care for the patient.

People:

Speaking, hearing, talking with people to convey or exchange information. Includes giving directions to staff, patients, families and/or visitors.

Things:

Manual dexterity: Use of body members or special devices to work, and perform functions pertinent to accomplishment of job assignment.

Education: Graduate of an accredited school of nursing. Possesses a nursing license in good standing in the State of Alabama. BSN preferred.

Experience: A minimum of two years clinical experience in the specialty setting i.e. Med/Surg, Critical Care etc.

Key Responsibilities / Essential Functions

1. Leadership and Supervision

• Oversees day-to-day unit operations, ensuring adequate staffing and workload distribution.
• Assigns and delegates patient care responsibilities based on staff competency, acuity, and patient needs.
• Provides on-shift clinical guidance, coaching, and problem-solving for nurses and support staff.
• Serves as the primary liaison between nursing staff, physicians, and other departments during the shift.
• Promotes a culture of safety, accountability, and collaboration within the unit.
• Supports conflict resolution and addresses staff or patient concerns in real time.

2. Clinical Oversight

• Monitors patient status and assists in managing complex or high-acuity situations.
• Ensures compliance with evidence-based practice standards, hospital policies, and regulatory requirements.
• Participates in patient rounds and ensures timely completion of assessments, interventions, and documentation.
• Coordinates rapid response and emergency situations, ensuring appropriate escalation and communication.

2. Staffing and Throughput Management

• Collaborates with the Clinical Supervisor on staffing adjustments, admissions, discharges, and transfers.
• Participates in or leads the 4 p.m. staffing huddle to plan for upcoming shift and census needs.
• Supports patient flow by proactively managing bed availability and discharge readiness.
• Communicates changes in census, acuity, or staffing to leadership promptly.

3. Education and Mentorship

• Acts as a preceptor and mentor for new nurses and nursing students.
• Reinforces staff education related to safety, infection control, and clinical best practices.
• Promotes professional development and continuous learning among team members.

4. Quality, Safety, and Performance Improvement

• Monitors compliance with safety checklists, medication administration standards, and documentation accuracy.
• Participates in quality initiatives, audits, and apparent cause / root cause analyses.
• Encourages reporting and resolution of safety events and near misses.
• Contributes to improvement of patient satisfaction and experience scores through consistent leadership and communication.

Belief System: We the Nurses of Decatur Morgan Hospital Believe in…

We also believe that…

Physical Functions

Below are the physical activities that are performed during the normal workday. It should be noted that this information is not inclusive of all job tasks. These functions are the minimum physical abilities required to perform this position.

Physical Requirements

Occasionally

6 to 33%

Frequently

34 to 66%

Constantly

67 to 100%

Walking

P

Sitting

P

Standing

P

Stooping

P

Bending

P

Kneeling

P

Crouching

P

Twisting

P

Climbing Stairs

Climbing (Ladder/Scaffolding)

Crawling

Stretching/Reaching

P

Pushing/Pulling

P

Hearing

P

Seeing

P

Speaking

P

Hand-finger Dexterity

Lifting/Carrying up to:

( ) 20 lbs.

( ) 30 lbs.

( ) 40 lbs.

( ) 50 lbs.

( ) 75 lbs.

P

( ) 100 lbs.

( ) >100 lbs.

Exposure to blood borne pathogens

P

Exposure to dust

P

Exposure to fumes

Exposure to noise

P

Exposure to chemicals

P

Other: ________________