[streetdoc]

I was wondering what the average ratio is for nurse to patients for the night shift. I work in a tele unit but we get everybody! I am expected to care for 8 patients that run the spectrum of complexity. We are getting killed everyday! I was also looking for research to show our manager how dangerous it is to staff based on census and not on acuity levels. I really feel like I am a reactive nurse vs a proactive nurse. I have only been out of school since may. I was a paramedic prior to this and thank god I have those expierences to draw from! Thanks!

[TeleRNer]

At my hospital in central california rarely do we have 6 patients or severely rarely seven...most nights 5 at max. I am certainly concerned for your patient's welfare with such numbers...even I having been a nurse for over a year and a half would be overwhelmed with such an awful ratio such as yours; especially on Tele where you can have positive cardiac enzymes, chest pain r/o MI on another; pulling a hemaquit on still another and a confused client and add another 4 patients.....wow ! please tell me where you're located.

[Lacie]

I have to agree. When I was a NCM of a Telemetry unit we did base our assignments on acuity level. Staff never had more than 5 pts max and less if thier pts were more critical or unstable. I would be very concerned with asking a nurse to attempt to care for 8 on a unit such as yours also. On occasions we may get so short due to call ins whatever but that was rare. Then I also would be out of my office taking patients myself majority of the time. I wouldnt ask my staff to do anything I wouldnt do myself.

[Tweety]

8:1 on night shift, trauma med-surg. Too high in my opinion.

[RGN1]

Ours is 7:1 for the night staff, mostly elective surgical patients. Although I have to say they very rarely get up to their maximum, it's usually 4 or 5:1. They will also do early admissions for theatre times up to and including 09.00.

[cheshirecat]

Ours is 16 pts to 1 RN and HCA. We never stop the whole shift. Our ward is a surgical ward. We used to have only 2 RN and 1 HCA for 30 pts, but thankfully they decided to give us the extra HCA.

[AliRae]

I don't think it really counts, because I work PICU. We're 1:1 or 1:2, both days and nights. Very rarely when we have a lot of overflow from the floor, I've worked 3:1 (and even that makes me head spin!)

[BGgirl]

Wow, you guys make me thankful for our low patient ratios even though the nurses on my floor tend to take critically ill pts with multiple health issues. We're 4:1 on nights at the max but we usually start out with 3 and end up with an admission.

We've had other nurses from different floors float to our floor that take 6 patients a night and say they'd rather have their 6 patients then our 4. I cannot even imagine taking 8 patients by myself. That sounds too unsafe.

[all4schwa]

ours is 5:1 on nights. we're considered advanced care and float to other advanced care units, but I believe other floors carry 7-8 on nights.

[HappyNurse2005]

labor and delivery/high risk antepartum:
active labor 1:1. maybe one labor and one cervidil induction. or 2 cervidils.
antepartum side 1:2 to 1:4 at night. depends on staffing, census, etc