Leadership in Nursing: How to Become a Charge Nurse
| 11 Min Read
Charge nurses fill a unique role. As caretakers, supervisors, liaisons and point people, these professionals balance the responsibility found in managerial roles with the medical competencies of registered nurses (RNs). For nurses looking to take the next step in their careers, Carlow University’s online Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-to-BSN) program provides the leadership foundation needed to pursue this rewarding path.
Charge nurses shoulder a considerable amount of responsibility. In addition to caring for their patients, they also have to be aware of everything that’s going on during their shifts. This includes coordinating communication between nurses, doctors and other administrators as well as managing tasks, assembling schedules and monitoring admissions and discharges. They’re truly at the frontline of their ward during their shifts.
There are charge nurses in a variety of medical settings, ranging from hospitals and nursing homes to urgent care clinics and more specialized facilities. Regardless of the setting, charge nurses need to possess strong communication skills, the ability to be a leader and a wealth of clinical experience.
For those considering a career in this exciting field, there are important steps to take to get ready. Here is some useful information on what charge nurses do, and how to take steps to become a charge nurse:
What Is a Charge Nurse and What Do They Do?
Also known as “lead” nurses or “unit supervisors,” charge nurses are frontline managers on the nursing floor. The position itself is flexible; charge nurses may serve in temporary or permanent roles, depending on the needs of the facility.
The specific duties can vary depending on each unique role, but the charge nurse job description includes many of the same responsibilities across healthcare settings. A charge nurse’s duties may include some or all of the following:
- Provide nursing care expected of a standard nurse, including patient assessment, administering medications and treatments, maintaining files and charts, and more
- Oversee other nurses and mentor them when necessary
- Create work schedules and assign patients to nursing staff
- Serve as liaison among nurses, physicians, patients and families, management and other parties
- Conduct performance evaluations and job interviews
- Delegate tasks and coordinate patient care
- Discipline nursing staff when necessary
- Oversee patient admissions, discharges and transfers
- Sign off on staffing paperwork including competency evaluations and staffing budgets
Other day-to-day duties may include monitoring staffing needs, providing regular reports, investigating patient complaints and assisting other nurses with more challenging patients. It is the charge nurse’s responsibility to help maintain a safe environment for patient care, potentially including tasks such as monitoring and ordering medical supplies and ensuring compliance with policies, procedures and laws.
Charge nurses must generally possess excellent skills in communication, organization and leadership. They must also be competent in making quick decisions, evaluating the quality of patient care, resolving conflicts and anticipating problems before they arise. Charge nurses are hired as much for personal aptitudes (such as the willingness to solve problems) as they are for their medical expertise. They must demonstrate a great deal of ambition, professionalism and awareness of the larger picture at all times.
How to Become a Charge Nurse
Charge nurses must have certain characteristics to succeed, but they must also possess certain credentials. All charge nurses must be licensed RNs, but beyond that, they also need to have a background of significant experience in their field (usually a minimum of three years of experience).
In addition to several years of experience in their field, it’s important for aspiring charge nurses to gain exposure to other areas of the work. This includes demonstrating a willingness to learn from others to develop skills ranging from working with the families of patients to developing a familiarity with scheduling and other administrative duties.
Charge nurses want to provide direction and guidance to other staff members, and they earn their positions largely due to a combination of their job history, personality, ambition and previous work performance. They need to display a propensity for leadership, an eagerness to take on additional roles and a desire to learn about every aspect of the job.
Charge nurses must also demonstrate exceptional communication and organizational skills, both of are crucial to the role. Above all else, they need to convey that they possess impeccable critical thinking skills in order to perform all the duties of the job.
What Educational Background Do Charge Nurses Need?
Factors such as work experience and personality are important, but aspiring charge nurses should also consider pursuing extra credentials to gain an edge in the hiring process. Earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) signifies to employers how much prospective charge nurses value furthering their education and understanding of the healthcare field.
While not necessarily a requirement, it is highly recommended that anybody who wants to become a charge nurse should have at least a BSN degree. Nurses with a BSN have a strong foundation in patient care, clinical judgment, physical assessment and leadership, and have developed skills that may set them apart from the field. A BSN is a great entry point for nurses who one day hope to advance into roles such as charge nurse or nurse leader.
An MSN is a more intensive program and is a requirement for anybody who wants to pursue executive leadership and teaching positions in nursing. Compared to a BSN, the curriculum focuses more on navigating health systems, managing quality improvement and fine-tuning leadership skills. An MSN program also provides opportunities for specializations such as neonatal nurse practitioners or nurse anesthetists.
The decision to make the jump from a BSN to MSN depends on each individual’s career goals. If becoming a charge nurse is a stop on the journey to teaching or administration, it might make sense for for an RN to pursue a master’s degree once they’ve gained experience as a charge nurse and are looking to take the next step.
What’s the Difference Between a Charge Nurse and a Nurse Manager?
Although charge nurses are leaders, it’s important to distinguish the difference between what they do and the role of a nurse manager. When looking at a charge nurse vs. a nurse manager, the biggest difference that becomes immediately apparent is that nurse managers typically do not interact with patients. They act as a liaison between their units and upper management and focus on managerial duties and communicating across the department as a whole.
Charge nurses have a narrower focus. They are in charge of their specific shifts and are still patient-facing. Put another way, becoming a charge nurse is considered to be the first step on the path to becoming a nurse manager, and it’s also preferable for healthcare workers who would like to maintain their patient-facing duties.
Educational background can be another distinction in certain settings. For instance, nurse managers in many hospitals, such as those with Magnet designation, are required to have a BSN degree at minimum.
What Traits Does a Charge Nurse Need?
Charge nurses possess the traits that all nurses do: They’re caring, cool under pressure and have exceptional problem-solving skills. However, there are several characteristics that are essential for those considering making the leap to become a charge nurse. Here’s a closer look:
- Organization: Above all else, charge nurses have to be organized. Not only are they tasked with ensuring that the nurses working their shifts are in the right place at the right time, they are also responsible for ensuring everyone has access to the right supplies and equipment. They need to have a long-term, big-picture vision to maintain this level of organization.
- Compassionate: Charge nurses must have an innate sense of altruism in order to succeed. More specifically, they need to be comfortable acting as role models for other nurses, offering to mentor and teach them, even assisting with more difficult or challenging tasks and patients.
- Communication: In addition to being compassionate and organized, charge nurses need to be good communicators. They need to know how to talk to administrators and upper management on behalf of their nurses, and they also need to be adept at teaching those under their supervision how to complete tasks.
- Flexible: Charge nurses need to have flexibility. From scheduling changes to shifts in patient care, it’s crucial that charge nurses are able to change course at a moment’s notice without skipping a beat.
- Empathetic: Charge nurses must have a great deal of empathy to be successful in their role. They have to be patient with those in their care as well as their coworkers and actively listen to everyone’s concerns. After all, charge nurses are not just delivering patient care. They’re helping lead the next generation of nurses.
Together, these traits form the foundation of effective nursing leadership — allowing charge nurses to support their teams, advocate for their patients and grow into the role’s evolving demands. Nurses who cultivate these qualities position themselves not just to succeed as charge nurses, but to thrive in whatever leadership roles come next.
What Are the Advantages of Becoming a Charge Nurse?
Taking on more responsibility as a charge nurse certainly presents its fair share of challenges. However, with the added responsibility comes a number of advantages that make the charge nurse role one to aspire to:
- Change of pace: Becoming a charge nurse will add some variety to the day-to-day duties of most RNs. Not only will it open their eyes to the administrative side of healthcare, but it will also provide them with the opportunity to become more familiar with each nurse under their charge as well as their patients.
- A different perspective: Charge nurses are still involved with patient care, but they will likely come at it from a different perspective. They experience the administrative side of patient care, from staffing and planning to assessing and securing the right resources.
- Gain leadership experience: It’s hard to develop as a leader. There are rare opportunities to put leadership skills into practice, but becoming a charge nurse is among the most rewarding and challenging. Not only can charge nurses sharpen their leadership skills, but by raising their hands and taking on the challenge, they are positioning themselves for future advancement.
- A good career move: In addition to laying the groundwork for more career advancement, such as becoming a nurse manager, charge nurses tend to earn more than RNs under their direction.
For RNs ready to take on more, the charge nurse role offers a rare combination of clinical engagement and leadership development that few other positions can match. It’s a career move that pays off professionally, financially and personally.
How Much Do Charge Nurses Earn?
According to PayScale, the average annual salary of charge nurses is approximately $87,771 as of 2026. However, becoming a charge nurse may just be the first step toward career advancement, as the role can also be a launching point to additional study and more advanced positions of leadership. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage for registered nurses was $93,600 in May 2024.
This figure includes wages for entry-level RNs, charge nurses, nurse managers and a variety of advanced practice roles. Those who advance into specialized or leadership roles generally receive significantly higher compensation. After earning an advanced degree, such as an MSN, some future job titles may include:
- Nursing Director ($106,510 average annual salary according to PayScale, as of 2026)
- Advanced Practice Registered Nurse ($112,851 average annual salary according to PayScale, as of 2026)
- Chief Nursing Officer ($160,227 average annual salary according to PayScale, as of 2026)
The role of a charge nurse is indeed complex. For those with an interest in becoming an exceptional leader within the nursing field, the position can be a perfect fit.
Your Nursing Leadership Future
The path to becoming a charge nurse is one of the most meaningful steps a registered nurse can take. It bridges clinical expertise and leadership, offering the chance to mentor colleagues, shape patient care standards and build the professional foundation for advanced roles in nursing administration and practice.
For RNs ready to take that next step, a BSN provides the leadership preparation, clinical grounding and professional recognition that healthcare employers look for in charge nurse candidates. Carlow University’s online RN-to-BSN program is designed for working nurses — flexible, CCNE-accredited and built to be completed in as little as eleven months. The opportunity to lead starts here.
Learn more about the online RN-to-BSN program at Carlow University.
About Carlow University’s Online RN-to-BSN Program
Nursing has been called “the finest art,” and nowhere is that illustrated better than in the profession’s requirements for management. For those seeking to advance their nursing career, the online RN-to-BSN program at Carlow University can prepare them in a practical curriculum designed to help them succeed.
Created with working professionals in mind, the CCNE-Accredited program can be completed in as little as eleven months, and thanks to its online format, students can fit courses around a schedule that works best for them. Carlow University’s RN-to-BSN online program allows students to immerse themselves in material that will help position them to secure roles as charge nurses and beyond.