Andrew Frazer explains the techniques junior nurses should learn in order to manage shifts in urgent care settings safely and effectively

Many junior emergency department nurses are given no formal training in management before they are asked to take charge of shifts. Nurses learn by observing senior staff, but when they first take charge of a busy shift they can be uncertain about what tasks to prioritise and how to manage team members. This article describes some of the techniques they can learn and the observations they should make to run shifts successfully.