A charge nurse in a long-term care facility notices the smell of alcohol on a nurse's breath. Which of the following actions should the nurse take first?

A. Assign clients to the remaining staff is not the first action. The nurse should address the suspected impairment of the staff member before assigning clients to others. B. Call the supervisor to ask for another nurse is not the first action. While notifying the supervisor is important, the nurse should first ensure that the impaired nurse is removed from direct client care to prevent any potential harm to clients. C. Remove the nurse from the client care area is correct. The first priority is to ensure that the nurse who may be impaired is not caring for clients to ensure client safety. D. Document objective findings about the situation is important but not the first step. The immediate priority is ensuring the safety of clients by removing the nurse from the care area. Documentation can follow after ensuring client safety.