[Eeyore_RN]

I work Med Surge Teley on nights we are usually 1:7 but I have taken care of 9 and 10 on a regular basis, if we are working with LPN's then we also have to oversee their patients, so your numbers can add up quick.

[luv2yoga]

I work nights in a Med-Surg Specialty unit with a wide variety of patients from standard stuff to oncology, and I usually have 6. I have had 7 twice and those were really difficult nights. I've been off orientation only a month, so it's all I can to handle my 6. If I get a new admission, I am pretty much sure to be there late charting. I hope in a couple of months I'll be better (faster), I see improvement already. Evenings have 5 patients (which is also the worst, most difficult shift, I guess it's that way at every hospital) and days have 4.

[blueiwahine]

LTACH unit...I usually have 5 pts on nights...when I first started it was 6...but those 5 are usually very time consuming.

[OHRN4Kids]

I worked at a clinic first after graduating (hospitals in my area weren't hiring). When I first started working at a hospital it was through an agency, so no preceptorship. i learned a lot, was thrown in there. But often had a large load. I was on an oncology and tele floor- i've had had up to 9 pts at times, with no aide.

[surfer betty crocker]

i have 7 or 8 pts on a busy, heavy tele floor. if you took one pt. from each nurse on the floor, you could hire one more nurse and give that nurse a decent patient load, and unburden the rest of the staff. who knows maybe this would reduce the ridiculously high turnover. who ever said that 7 patients on a cardiac floor is 'doable'? also this floor happens to have a high turnover rate. something that screams red flag! to me. 9/10 nurses i meet have been there less than one year. that makes me feel like the ratio is too much for sick sick patients on the floor. and im also beginning to think that the support just isn't there. im still fairly new, but i work like crazy and feel like im floating on my own. from seasoned nurses, is 7/8 patients normal, safe typical for a cardiac floor? also those who work on tele- as newbie's do you have monitor techs or anyone you can go to that will help validate whacked out rhythms? i feel like i am more 'encouraged' to figure it out on my own. i am a self motivated learner but the first few 'go rounds' interpreting my own strips i would feel better with some validation. we had about 5 hours of tele interpretation total. anyone give any perspective on this? or is this just par for the course in tele nursing...oh and ancially staff are few and far between. most nights i am doing total patient care, which i do not mind but with a disappearing charge and no monitor tech, spending too much time in one room makes me feel thats a 'no no' im trying to decide if this is just anew nurse thing or a culture thing. i have been literally physically strugglng to help a dizzy unsteady 350 lb pt. get to the bathroom and had ancillary literally look at me in the face and walk right by me and out the room. i always help out and i always will but jeez.

[travelcrazyRN]

CA ratio is 1:4 max for tele patients ...they don't really follow it, but it is still 10x better than NV where they have 9-10 even on day shift.

[aheiskill]

On day shift the ratio is 1:5-6, Nights 1:8-10, and we have Oncology, ERSD, Step-down Cardiac, and some ortho.

[sjerseymom]

I'm a new nurse with just 4 months OTJ. I had the pleasure of receiving 12 wks of a preceptor. With was great but needed improvement. Last night was the most pt I have ever had and I didn't clock out until 930am (730am is norm). I started with 5pts which I have been fine with (3 from past 2 nights). I got an admit at 2330 and this pt was my thorn in my side. God bless her but she was from a NHome and was AOx1 and confused (dementia). She was also a walker and very mobile. Thank god the other nurses on my side of unit and also the CN was great and helped out. But when you have a rash of call out (very high right now) and no one to come and cover it was a full moon. We also only had one aide to help out. She was such a blessing last night and all she could do is laugh with us and smile. I do work on a teley unit. We have a medical teley and surgical teley (mostly isolations) that was combined into one unit. Suppose to be 1:4 on surgical side and 1:5 on medical side. I had 5 pt on surgical and 1 medical. All my pts were great. In the long run I had 6 pts. And got 2 hours overtime with no breaks. So much for ratios but I still am starting to like my job and like in previous posts don't wish as much I get in a fender bender before getting there. I am so relived that I am not the only sadistic person out there.
Live Well. Laugh Often. Love Much.

[sweetmuffin48]

I have learned it is not the number...it is the acuity...I always get 5 patients some days are much better than others because of acuity...I sometimes get 3 complete care, nonverbal, very sick, patients on tube feedings with several dressing changes a patient going through alcohol withdrawl which can be hard to manage, and a fresh post op patient...it is rough...it is all about acuity.

[travelcrazyRN]

I agree, the acuity does play a very important role but 9-10 patients are not managable no matter how low their acuity is. I would never accept an assignment with that many patients. A friend of mine says she routinely has 12-14 patients on a med/surg floor. It's too bad hospitals would rather see more green over adequate patient care. I've read articles that show in the long run it costs the hospitals more with lawsuits and longer hospital stays so I'm not sure why the keep doing it. It isn't always about the nursing shortage either because I've been to a hospital that will send home a nurse when staffiing looks almost managable. They intentionally kept the nurse to patient ratio 1:9 on nights and 1:7 on days +lpn coverage. 1:6 NEVER happened. You either received an admit/transfer within a half hour (just long enough to have the room cleaned) or they sent someone home. This was also primary care.