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How Do Charge Nurses View Their Roles in Long-Term Care?
Katherine S. McGilton1,
Barbara Bowers2,
Barbara McKenzie-Green3,
Veronique Boscart1*,
and
Maryanne Brown4
1 University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Ontario, Canada
2 University of Wisconsin–Madison
3 Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
4 Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Ontario, Canada
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Boscart.Veronique{at}torontorehab.on.ca.
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Abstract |
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This article explores how registered nurses (RNs) in long-term care (LTC) understand their role as charge nurses. Data are derived from 16 charge nurses employed in 8 facilities in Ontario, Canada. Qualitative methods are used to analyze audiotapings of interviews. The findings reveal a range of dimensions and subdimensions. Charge nurses experience their work as highly complex and unpredictable. Themes that captured the following dimensions of the supervisor role in LTC include (a) against all odds, getting through the day; (b) stepping in work; and (c) leading and supporting unregulated care workers. In addition, analysis within each category reveals a complex intersection between the nurses perceptions of the context and their consequent work strategies. The emerging demands placed on supervisors due to the growing complexity of residents, increasing government regulations, and staffing shortages have caused the role of the charge nurse to evolve with little reflection on its impact.
First published on July 2, 2009, doi:10.1177/0733464809336088
Journal of Applied Gerontology 2009;28:723.
A more recent version of this article appeared on December 1, 2009

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