Does your floor have an RN to patient ratio?

[DutchgirlRN]

Our absolute top limit is RN to 6 patients and they strive for 5. I appreciate my employer sticking to the ratio no matter the cost. They will call nurses in and offer double pay to get us covered, also we have regular agency nurses that we can call if we need to. Our nurse manager has worked the floor more than once to keep our ratios in line.

There are studies proving that understaffing causes more med errors and there are deaths directly attributed to high RN to patient ratios. One large hospital close to me has an RN to 7/8 patient ratio. Yikes that's scary! eh? They couldn't pay me enough. My license is too precious to me not to mention the patients safety. Any opinions?

[ljds]

On day shift we have typically 2-3 pts (usually three) per staff; so a team of a nurse and an aide might have 5-6 pts. Sometimes because of call ins we might have teams of 7 or 8, but that is rare.

On nights, we typically have teams of 6-8, and TPCs of 3-4. I am an LPN, so I almost always have a tpc. I usually have 4 pts; though I don't mind doing admits, so often I will start with 3 and be first admit. Just my preference, though. Charge nurse doesn't take a team unless they have to, and theyusually cover the LPN (all our LPNs are IV certified, so coverage isn't a big deal, usually).

I remember not so long ago that if we on nights had a team of less than 10 or TPC less than 5, it was a good night. In the last few years our hospital has apparently made a huge effort to staff at safer, more reasonable levels.

Another thing I appreciate: our director is an RN who worked our floor for over 10 years. She comes to work in scrubs almost every day; one of the only floor directors who doesn't come in a business suit and a lab coat. You usually can't find her in her office; she is out on the floor, doing her work from the nurses station. She wants to be involved and be visible, and know what is going on. I have *so much* respect for her for this.

I remember working at this hospital when the ratio was so bad; our morale was horrible. It is much better now; no one complains that the hospital doesn't listen, doesn't care about the nurses. There used to be talk of unionizing; now there isn't, in part because all of the complaints--reasonable health care, good retirement plans, staff pay and ratios--all of those have been taken care of to the staff's satisfaction, for the most part.

[johnson0424]

On day shift we have typically 2-3 pts (usually three) per staff; so a team of a nurse and an aide might have 5-6 pts. Sometimes because of call ins we might have teams of 7 or 8, but that is rare.

On nights, we typically have teams of 6-8, and TPCs of 3-4. I am an LPN, so I almost always have a tpc. I usually have 4 pts; though I don't mind doing admits, so often I will start with 3 and be first admit. Just my preference, though. Charge nurse doesn't take a team unless they have to, and theyusually cover the LPN (all our LPNs are IV certified, so coverage isn't a big deal, usually).

I remember not so long ago that if we on nights had a team of less than 10 or TPC less than 5, it was a good night. In the last few years our hospital has apparently made a huge effort to staff at safer, more reasonable levels.

Another thing I appreciate: our director is an RN who worked our floor for over 10 years. She comes to work in scrubs almost every day; one of the only floor directors who doesn't come in a business suit and a lab coat. You usually can't find her in her office; she is out on the floor, doing her work from the nurses station. She wants to be involved and be visible, and know what is going on. I have *so much* respect for her for this.

I remember working at this hospital when the ratio was so bad; our morale was horrible. It is much better now; no one complains that the hospital doesn't listen, doesn't care about the nurses. There used to be talk of unionizing; now there isn't, in part because all of the complaints--reasonable health care, good retirement plans, staff pay and ratios--all of those have been taken care of to the staff's satisfaction, for the most part.

what state is this in? this is some nice staffing...

[ljds]

NE Kansas

[GooeyRN, ADN, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN]

I hope I am never a patient in NE Pennsylvania. Do you care for that many patients by yourself or with a team? It sounds criminal to me.

Either 2 RN's OR 1RN and one LPN. There is USUALLY one CNA. Not guaranteed though. We have since went to CAH status so There are only 18 available beds now with the same staffing so things are better. So we get 9 pts each with usually one CNA. It doesn't stop admits being admitted into geri chairs in the hallway though when all of the beds are full... That is so not fair to the patient... They don't even have a call bell that way!