[FlightRN2B]

I recently started working on a cardiac/surg floor where the patient load is currently 8 to 10 with the possibility of having as many as 12, also because this floor has LPN's working, I as well as the other RN's have to cover their primary assessments, IV pushes and anything else that they are not allowed to do. I'm used to working in an ICU where the most amount of patient I could expect to have was four if they were all IMC only or 2 to 3 if they were stable ICU's. Trying to juggle that many patients can suck pretty bad. This floor does not do drips however they do get fresh post ops that come from the unit. I seem to always be waiting for the other shoe to drop so to speak..... So tell me what's fair, what's not..............HUMMMMM (Any juggling tips)

[Rapheal]

8-12 cardiac patients, fresh post ops, I hear alarms going off and they are not just the telemetry ones at the desk. I would be out of there faster than SVT. Maybe some people can handle it - but I can't. The question is not if this ratio is acceptable (some will say it is, some will say it is not) but if you feel relatively confident that you can provide safe and effective care. If you feel that you are "waiting for the other shoe to drop" your intuition may be leading you right out of that unit. Good luck in whatever you choose.

[rollingstone]

I'm with you Rapheal.

[batmik]

I work on a telemetry floor and we have 4-5 pt on days, 4-6 on pms and 5-7 on nights. Some nights event that feels like too many. We get renal dose dopamine, lido drips(hardly ever anymore) heparin drips, cardizem drips, integrillin drips. That doesn't sound safe at all. Our ICU has a max of 2 pt per nurse never more. Don't know what state you work in but it sounds really rough.

[efiebke]

Sounds scary to me too! I do per diem work on a busy heme/onc medical floor (with lots of surgical patients thrown in) for a large teaching hospital. The patient/nurse ratio is very rarely greater than 6:1. . . and that's with a full compliment of support staff!

Now. . . my full-time job is on a small ICU/CCU for a small community hospital. The patient nurse ratio is very rarely greater than 2:1. And most of these patients are "rule outs"!

I'd run away faster than SVT too!

[MandyInMS]

FlightRN2be....run...run fast...run hard...and don't look back!
8-12 unstable pts?? that's unreal to me...would YOU want to be a pt in that situation? heck NO..and darn sure wouldn't wanna be the nurse.

[FlightRN2B]

Thanks for the empathy, and the advice. The only thing I can say is that I work with a great staff that somehow gets the job done.
The patients on this floor for the most part are stable however there has been a couple of patients go bad where they need to be sent to the unit. The other day we were short a nurse and because the ER was holding 13+ patients they pushed the RN's to take 11 patients and the LPN to take 10. which translates to the RN's covering pushes and assessments and IV starts. Sounds like fun hun (I won't say how bad the pay is because in this state were payed less than or equal to the trash guys............. I wonder if Taco Bell is hiring.........haha

[renerian]

YIKES!!!!!!!

renerian

[LuvbabiesRN]

8-12 Pts?????????????????????????
OMG!!!!!!!
That is unreal. I work on a cvsu.. all post ops.. on days.. nurses have 3.. eves 4.. and nights 5.... and i think thats a tough load... of course i am a new grad so thats translates into being a little slower at thins but still... everyone thats post open heart surgery wakes a fine line between being ok and not being ok.. with every bodily system... de do q 4 hr assessments and vitals.. there are meds every hour and all pts have to get up for meals... its just unreal to be able to safely moniter that many pateints.. what do you do when you have several pts on dopamine or amiodarone gtts and they need frequent vital signs???? the LNA's on my floor dont do vitals... only getting pts in and out of bed,, and washing them up.. that type of stuff...
I would be outta there fast!! thats a lawsuit waiting to happen!!!

[FlightRN2B]

I'd like to say that the nurses where I work are tough... but that's a story for another day..... the CNA's set up the serial vitals and they do all the weights, bed baths, which are done during day shift and they record all the I&O's except the IVF. It sounds like the majority of hospitals have a much better nurse to patient ration than do we. The normal is 8 patients with the occasional, getting to be more frequent than not, 10 patients. Giving good care to that many people is hard to do even if they are all walkie talkies.
Thanks for everyones input. Trust me when I say..... I won't be there very long. As soon as I am elgible to transfer to one of the units or ER. I'll be gone with my bad self.................