Nurse to patient ratio?

Specialties Med-Surg

Published

I have not worked med/surg in over 5 years. What is the current nurse to patient ratio for most hospitals? And do you have a nurse tech in these ratios? As a new grad, I was very overwhelmed with 6 patients. I was at a small hospital which so the variety of patient diagnosis could be quite different. Also, sometimes we would have an intermediate care patient thrown in to the mix but still have 6 patients. Looking back I wonder if that was really a big load or was it overwhelming just because I was a new grad?

On average 6 on days

My floor is 5-6 patients for day shift. Of course 2-3 leave and 2-3 come in. Fast paced everyday. Takes 1 year for a new grad to feel like they finally "get it". You stop calling in after your shift is over to say can you make sure I did that to the next nurse.

Wow I had no idea how good I have it! The Minnesota Nurses Association does wonders for us. On days and eves my floor is 4:1 unless the acuity is very high or an insulin drip...then it's 3:1. Nights gets 5-6 (or 4 if high acuity). If the floor is full we have 24 patients. On days and eves that's 3 PCAs. It's nice :)

30 bed med-surg unit, always full. 1:5-6 on nights. 1:4-5 on days. 0-3 techs on day shift (0 I've only seen on a weekend). 0-2 techs on nights.

Specializes in Management, Med/Surg, Clinical Trainer.

WOW! Those are some amazing ratios.

Med\Surg Days and Nights 1:10

Telemetry Days 1:6, Nights 1:12

I left bedside nursing because of high ratios. I may have to take another look at bedside.

Our ratio is 6-7 pts on our med/surg floor with 1 nurse 1 aide. We have 14 beds, but if census is low on the other floors we can double up rooms. We are a critical care facility which means between the med/surg floor, SCU and our swing beds we can only have 25 pts. When the load is heavier we can sometimes get a float nurse or aide. Our swing unit is 10 pts to 1 nurse:1 aide. They try to give a float if there is over 7 pts, but here lately we have been busy on all the other floors so it really hasn't happened. Sometimes it seems overwhelming, but I have to stop and think of my time in a long term care facility and my upto 45 pts at night then it all comes into perspective. 1 nurse and 4 aides, 2 aides on the long-term hall and 2 aides on the lock down unit.

1:4-5 Pts and 3 CNAs for Days 1:4-5 pts night shift with 2 CNAs. Weekend day shift usually has 2 CNAs rarely is there 1 CNA and that would probably be weekend night shift. We usually average about 33 patients on the unit.

Generally I have 5-6 patients on days 7a-7p and we do all our own transport. We generally have an aid for every 12 pts but depending on who it is, it's hit or miss how much help we get-- and thanks to my 1:1 we had 1 aid for the entire floor.

I have been an RN for 4 years and 6 pts. still feels like too many. There's always someone getting their meds/treatments late. Last pt assignment I had included a titrated to clear CBI with tons of clots and next door a pt with diverticulitis that perfed (found that out after I gave her the oral contrast and wheeled her down to CT myself) who was on Q1h dilaudid (had to do pre op bath, print out pre op paperwork, etc.), an OD pt on a 1:1 with the reason she ODd raising hell (husband) trying to get in to see her, an MR pt who was digging in her brief and smeared it in her hair, ears, face WHILE HER SITTER WAS THERE, and a 20 year old who had surgery to correct a torsion of his testicle who was terrified to pee so I had to go in the bathroom with him every time and make sure his surgical scrotal support didn't loosen while he peed. His pain would probably have been better controlled if his mother didn't have him convinced that if he takes a vicodin he will end up turning into a junkie! :sarcastic:

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