Implementing a Standard Charge Nurse Selection Process

Background/Purpose: Nurse managers are often the support for staff transitioning into first-time leadership roles with little to no support for their own growth and development needs. Operational and union leaders identified three areas of need related to charge nurse professional development at a large, suburban hospital. These included charge nurse training workshops and onboarding practices, the development and implementation of a charge nurse selection process, and professional development opportunities for nurse managers and bedside nurses fulfilling the charge nurse role. Methods/Intervention: In collaboration with staff nurses, hospital and union leaders, and quality improvement (QI) partners, the development and implementation of a charge nurse selection process were accomplished. Six nurse managers participated in an eight-week QI pilot project using a pre-post program design. Activities included scheduled surveys, an in-person focus group, and an education intervention to implement the drafted charge nurse selection process. Supporting literature citing best practices in charge nurse development helped further inform the pilot project. Implementation of the pilot project focused on nurse managers using the charge nurse selection process with staff to evaluate charge nurse readiness. Results: Nurse managers successfully implemented the newly created charge nurse selection process. Pre- and post-pilot survey results reflected improved perceived participant knowledge and satisfaction with the charge nurse selection process. Conclusions: Participation in the pilot project increased nurse managers\u27 perceived knowledge and confidence to perform charge nurse selection using the created selection process appropriately. Long-term benefits such as staff turnover, costs, patient experience and outcomes, and nurse manager use and satisfaction are yet to be determined due to the length of pilot project implementation. Quantitative and qualitative feedback indicates positive nurse manager support for the charge nurse selection process