Last month, I told you about a nurse just seven months into her career who dared to ask for what she needed to grow. Her story reminded all of us of what passion looks like when it’s just beginning to catch fire.
But fire like that doesn’t grow on its own. It grows because someone is holding the floor steady around it. This month, I want to talk about that someone…the charge nurse.
As our nation recently celebrated 250 years, it feels right to honor a role that has been holding the floor steady for just as long.
When the Civil War wounded began pouring into overcrowded hospitals, someone had to step forward and take charge of those wards, organizing the chaos, directing the care, and holding everything together while the world fell apart. That person, long before anyone gave the role a formal name, was the charge nurse. Women like Dorothea Dix, appointed Superintendent of Army Nurses a title that carried authority, but no salary turned disorganized wards into efficient centers of care. Without training. Without recognition. Without compensation, that matched the weight of what they carried.
That spirit never left the role.
By the 1970s, researchers were formally studying what charge nurses had always known: that this role required strong organizational skills, clinical competence sharp enough to coach and mentor others, and the ability to remain approachable and nonjudgmental so that younger staff felt safe asking for help. One researcher described it simply: the charge nurse is like an air traffic controller. They don’t fly the plane. But nothing lands safely without them.
That is still true today. And it is exactly why charge nurses help shape careers. Long before someone earns a title, they are watching how their charge nurse leads: whether it is safe to ask a question at 3 a.m., whether help shows up when they are drowning, whether someone notices before things fall apart.
The charge nurse is not a helper role or a temporary assignment. The charge nurse is an extension of unit and clinic leadership, the same voice; they are responsible for the operations of the entire unit or clinic during that shift. They know what is happening with every single patient. They step in to help even when they may have a full assignment. They are the first call when something goes wrong and the quiet force keeping everything right when nothing does.
When I was a nurse manager, staff would sometimes come to me wanting assignment decisions reconsidered. I asked one question every single time: Have you spoken to the charge nurse? Because this is their show. They have the most up-to-the-minute information to make the right call. I was not going to circumvent their authority, even as the nurse manager. That respect is not optional. It is earned. And it is owed.
I want to give a particular nod to one of our medical-surgical units, F6; they manage an incredible range of acuity and complexity every single shift without always getting the spotlight. The charge nurse on a unit like F6 is constantly shifting gears, making decisions most people will never see. And so often it is the charge nurse from units like this who ends up shaping nursing careers of so many. During a recent rounding visit to F6, Shermika was watching patients and answering call lights so her staff could step away and talk with me uninterrupted. She made sure everyone else’s voice could be heard even though it meant she carried more of the floor herself. She knew I was there; she gave me access to the conference room. What I know based on how the staff spoke of her is that she showed up the same way she would have if I wasn’t there. That tells you everything you need to know about Shermika. Shermika, your team is lucky to have you. And what you do every night does not go unnoticed.
The charge nurse role extends far beyond our inpatient units. In our ambulatory clinics, charge nurses lead their teams while still rooming patients, stepping into direct care without missing a beat in their charge nurse responsibilities. That seamlessness is a skill, and it is seen. That is not just dedication. That is “All In” in its truest form.
To every nurse who currently or who has ever served in the charge nurse role across this organization, we applaud you.
Albert Schweitzer once said: “Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light.”
That is the charge nurse. Shift after shift, rekindling the flame in the nurses around them the ones who are tired, overwhelmed, or brand new and not yet sure they belong. They hold the light when others can’t.
You may not always make headlines. But you make the difference. And we see you being “All In” day after day night after night!
A heartfelt thank you to every nurse who completed the RN Engagement Survey. Your voice will shape what comes next. We are listening.
