Nursing Nightmare - Whats's the most number of patients you cared for by yourself?

Reading these makes me glad I am in California! I can't imagine taking care of the amount of patients some of you have to take care of...it also makes me glad that I am not a patient in your states! That can not be safe!

Intensive/Critical Care 1:2

Neo-natal Intensive Care 1:2

Operating Room (2) 1:1

Post-anesthesia recovery 1:2

Labor and Delivery 1:2

Antepartum 1:4

Postpartum couplets 1:4

Postpartum women only 1:6

Pediatrics 1:4

Emergency Room (3) 1:4

ICU patients in the ER 1:2

Trauma patients in the ER (2) 1:1

Step Down Initial 1:4

Step Down in 2008 1:3

Telemetry Initial 1:5

Telemetry in 2008 1:4

Medical/Surgical Initial 1:6

Medical/Surgical in 2005 1:5

Other Specialty Care Initial (4) 1:5

Other Specialty Care in 2008 (4) 1:4

Psychiatric 1:6


Charge RNs and managers are not counted in
the ratios

Triage at Base Ratio RNs shall
not be included in the ratios. Every ER must have an
RN, with experience in emergency care, on duty
at all times.

Telemetry: 9 patients for me. 26 on the floor, 2 other nurses, no aide. Half the shift called off the day after a holiday. We kept them all alive, but it was a miracle.

In skilled nursing facility: 1:20
In neuro/neurosurgery: 1:7
In med/surg: 1:8
In Neuro Step Down unit with fresh strokes/crani/ICP monitoring 1:4

And now my current employer who previously had a policy of 1:5 on neuro/neurosurgery floor is instituting 1:7! Ridiculous and unsafe when less than 25% of this population is walking/talking and able to voice their needs. ugh!!!!

LTC charge....I have 40 now- with 4 aides (2 per hall) and a CMA.
There are 2 other chrg nurses- they have btwn 30 and 40 also- so when someone's at lunch well...good frickin luck getting anything done.
The perk; I'm ADD and I'm NEVER bored. The bad; fear for my license sometimes bc I do all my own treatments, Tube feedings, prn narcs, docs calls, admits, discharges and orders/dc's or hospice care- if its a wkend and there is no ward clerk.
Sounds insane why anyone would put themselves in that situation but I have learned more here in a year (about organization/prioritization/leadership) than I did 8 years enlisted and working ER,LD,or FP. ...

The most I've had is 11 in sub-acute rehab--this was when my floor was 2 nurses for 22 pts, now it's 3 for 26--the most my team can have is 8, and depending on how many CNAs we have, I have at least one, maybe 2 CNAs assigned to my team.
Very low census lately, though...here's hoping it picks up!

400 elementary students !!! By myself. meds, treatments, first aide, seizures... ( I worked as a school health aide for two.5 years and the RN who was my boss was only there 1-2 hours, only 1-2 days a week) !

Acute elderly medial, 24...which is really not good seeing as im not a trained nurse!!
All the staff nurses went for a meeting!

max I have cared for during the night shift is 6...day time is 5...although the approved ratio is 1:3 per hospital..

60 on night shift at LTC with 3 CNAs, about 59 got am meds too!

Acute care (med surg)- 13. No CNA, no unit clerk, no housekeeping, just me. They were all really acute and unstable. It was a nightmare.

LTC- only nurse for 65.
I did all meds/tx/charting/calls/orders/paperwork. Had 3 CNAs with me. We had two trachs w/ MRSA, 9 tube feeders and a number of confused, wandering fall/elopement risks. No restraint facility.
Tons of meds/finger sticks and insulins in the AM. Did this for 2 years and it sucked.

Dialysis (chronic outpt) only nurse for 21. Had 3 techs.