Final answer:
The charge nurse should assist RNs to prioritize their responsibilities, delegate care to UAPs, and possibly call for more staff if necessary, while applying critical thinking to manage patient care in a demanding healthcare setting efficiently.
Step-by-step explanation:
The charge nurse must assess the situation and take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and well-being of patients and staff. While all options could potentially contribute to resolving the issue, the most immediate and proactive approach is to assist the RNs to prioritize their patients and their responsibilities. This decision emphasizes the need for the charge nurse to engage in critical thinking, utilizing their professional judgment and experience to manage patient care effectively. The goal is to ensure that the most critical patients receive the assistance they need first, thereby optimizing the available resources and improving the workflow. Additionally, it may be necessary for the charge nurse to delegate care to the UAPs to ensure that all tasks are covered and to call the supervisor for more staff if the workload is indeed beyond the capacity of the current team. Taking responsibility for a team of patients may also help, but it is not solely the charge nurse's role as they need to maintain oversight of the entire unit.
The work environment in healthcare settings like the ICU, CGU, Emergency, and Medical Surgical environments can be highly demanding. Dealing with work overload, heavy physical work, and patient concerns requires a multi-faceted solution that includes additional staffing, proper direct supervision, and effective teamwork.