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Northeast Georgia Health System is rooted in a foundation of improving the health of our communities.

About the Role:

Job Summary

The Charge Nurse advances nursing excellence by providing transformational shift leadership, reinforcing shared decision-making, and ensuring consistent execution of standard work that supports safety, quality, patient experience, staff well-being, and measurable outcomes.  The Charge Nurse serves as a essential clinical leader within the nursing unit, operating under the direct and indirect supervision of the Nurse Manager or designated administrative supervisor. This role is responsible for coordinating and facilitating high-quality, evidence-based nursing care across the unit, ensuring seamless patient flow, regulatory compliance, and optimal resource utilization during each shift.

As a frontline leader, the Charge Nurse supports clinical nurses in real-time problem-solving, fosters interdisciplinary communication, and escalates unresolved issues to appropriate leadership. The Charge Nurse assumes accountability and oversight for patient safety, care coordination, nurse engagement and retention, and preceptorships, while modeling professional behavior and promoting a culture of excellence. This role ensures safe, high-quality patient care through effective coordination of staff, resources, and patient flow while serving as a clinical and professional role model.  The charge nurse is a key liaison between direct care team members, physicians, patients, and leadership.

In the absence of the Nurse Manager or Assistant Nurse Manager, the Charge Nurse assumes administrative responsibilities for the unit. This role may also include direct patient care assignments based on unit needs and is counted in worked hours per patient day (WHPPD).

Minimum Job Qualifications

• Licensure or other certifications: Licensed to practice as an RN in Georgia. National certification in either a clinical or leadership specialty within two (2) years of hire.

• Educational Requirements: Associates Degree in Nursing.

• Minimum Experience: A minimum of one year in a direct patient care role in an acute care environment and in the specialty. 

• Other:

Preferred Job Qualifications

• Preferred Licensure or other certifications:

• Preferred Educational Requirements: A degree in Nursing (either BSN or MSN).  BSN strongly encouraged within five years.

• Preferred Experience: Three years of direct patient care experience in an acute care environment and within the specialty.

• Other: Professional organization membership

Job Specific and Unique Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Accepts accountability for patient care outcomes and coordinates the care team to meet unit objectives.

• Maintains awareness of patient acuity and status, adjusting staffing and assignments fairly to ensure safe, effective care.

• Supports staff by delegating tasks, assisting with clinical duties, and serving as a resource for equipment and procedures.

• Evaluates staff performance and provides feedback.

• Collaborates across disciplines to optimize patient care and facilitate smooth patient flow, admissions, and discharges.

• Oversees administrative duties such as audits, equipment checks, bed management, interdisciplinary rounds, and patient flow.

• Demonstrates leadership in crisis situations, using critical thinking to reassess team strengths and make timely decisions.

• Prioritizes tasks, manages interruptions, and uses time and resources efficiently to maintain unit operations.

• Communicates effectively with supervisors, managers and team members, fostering a respectful, team-oriented environment.

• Maintains visibility on the unit, promotes a positive atmosphere, and models professional behavior aligned with organizational values.

• Serves as a clinical resource and mentor to nursing staff, supporting and promoting, evidence-based practice and clinical decision making.

• Ensures appropriate utilization of equipment, supplies, and unit resources.

• Acts as the primary point of contact for physicians, ancillary team members, and leadership throughout the shift.

• Facilitates effective handoff, huddles, and interdisciplinary communication.

• Assist with onboarding, coaching and providing real time feedback to unit staff.

• Identifies performance and practice concerns and escalates appropriately.

• Demonstrates accountability for patient experience by actively supporting staff, addressing concerns in real time, and ensuring consistent delivery of compassionate, patient- and family-centered care.

Essential Tasks and Responsibilities

• Executes leader standard work each shift (start/mid/end routines) to promote reliable operations, standardization, and situational awareness.

• Leads tiered huddles and uses visual management to identify abnormalities, prioritize risks, and coordinate countermeasures within the appropriate scope in real time.  Escalates system issues appropriately.

• Facilitates structured escalation of barriers using safety tools, chain of command, and closed loop communication through organizational designed pathways.

• Applies rapid-cycle improvement (PDCA/A3 thinking) to address recurring barriers and supports sustained improvement with measurable results.

• Captures and trends unit-level issues and outcomes to support unit councils/shared governance and continuous improvement.

• Promotes a healthy practice environment by modeling collaborative leadership, meaningful recognition, teamwork, and coaching to adherence of professional practice standards.

• Remains visible and accessible on the unit to identify barriers, support staff, and reinforce standard work.

• Ensures huddles address key domains of patient safety, quality, patient flow and experience, staffing, operational risks, and staff well-being.

• Maintains accurate and up to date visual displays and accurate record-keeping related to census, acuity, staffing, and key operational indicators.

• Ensures completion of required shift-based audits, checklists, and rounding aligned to standard work.

• Documents completion of required leader standard work every shift.

• Uses standard work and real time data to align staffing with patient demand and acuity.

• Coaches staff  to reinforce a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and meaningful recognition.

• Communicates unresolved issues, safety concerns, staffing risks, and active countermeasures to the incoming charge nurse or nurse manager.

• Completes a structured end of shift handoff to ensure continuity of care and unit stability.

• Coordinates daily staffing assignments based on patient acuity, unit census, and staff competencies.

• Monitors and maintains patient flow, admissions, discharges, and transfers to optimize throughput and efficiency.

• Addresses patient and family concerns and escalates as appropriate.

• Participates in quality improvement and unit/hospital based committees and councils as assigned

Physical Demands

• Weight Lifted: Up to 50 lbs, Occasionally 0-30% of time

• Weight Carried: Up to 20 lbs, Occasionally 0-30% of time

• Vision: Moderate, Frequently 31-65% of time

• Kneeling/Stooping/Bending: Occasionally 0-30%

• Standing/Walking: Frequently 31-65%

• Pushing/Pulling: Occasionally 0-30%

• Intensity of Work: Frequently 31-65%

• Job Requires: Reading, Writing, Reasoning, Talking, Keyboarding

Working at NGHS means being part of something special: a team invested in you as a person, an employee, and in helping you reach your goals. 

NGHS: Opportunities start here.

Northeast Georgia Health System is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will not tolerate discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, disability, ethnicity, national origin, marital status, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected classification or status.