Nurses 6:1 Patient Care Techs 25:1 in an Acute Care Setting. Is this fair??

[KatieCutieRN]

I've been a long time lurker and I love you all. And if this is in the wrong forum please forgive me...

But I've been working at my current job as a Patient Care tech for 2 years while in nursing school. My floor is an acute care/overflow stepdown unit that primarly focuses on Pulmonary/Stroke/Seizure Medicine. The staffing on my floor has suddenly changed to become more budget friendly so they cut back the staff. Nurses will be 6 and 7 to one and PCT's are most of the time 20-26 to one. The PCTS do vital signs, fingersticks, admissions, and cleaning. Nurses are swamped and the PCTs are worked to the bone. This is a heavy floor with 95% of our patients being high fall risks.

I feel this is unfair to both nurses and the nurses aides. I was just wondering if any of you lovely nurses experience this poor staffing as well and tips for me and my nurses to help us not wanna rip our hair out at the end of stift!

[RW23RN, BSN, RN]

Just be aware, before facilities go improving ratios in favor of long term cost savings, they will pass the buck to the nursing staff. Hopefully none of us lose our jobs when patients don't get turned/groomed/walked and have negative consequences. Document, document, document! And perhaps we start encouraging family members to get involved with grooming, meals, etc... when applicable and safe to do so. Anyone have any good ideas how to document that things weren't done because you were busy?????

[PediLove2147, BSN, RN]

Q1 hour IV Site?

They check IV sites every hour in pediatrics.

[Cindy14]

Well, I'm a PCT and I just left my med-surg floor and transferred to an ICU stepdown unit for the same reason. In my med-surg floor I used to have 22 to 25 patients, now 9. I just felt it was "unsafe" for my patients. Nurses complaint about the PCTs, PCTs complain about the Nurses, and satisfaction scores dropped as well as the morale of the nurses and techs. Now I feel much better because I can provide the quality care that my patients deserve.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Q1 hour IV Site?

They check IV sites every hour in pediatrics.

Actually they chart that they check the IV sites every hour in pediatrics.