What is your nurse-patient ratio?

[Starfish, RN]

I'm a new grad RN about to start on a med-surg floor. I was told that on days I will have 4-5 patients and on nights 7-8. Does this sound normal/manageable?

[Jw1724]

I'm on a surgical specialty floor (we don't do purely medical).

Days is 4-5 patients, nights is 4-6 patients.

I normally have 3-4 fresh postops on my list.

[RNmomof3boys]

I work on a women's/cf med surg unit and usually 1:4 on nights (rarely 5 pts). Love my floor! :)

[tellelle]

Wow. i work in queensland australia and our days are 1:6-8 and nights anything from 1:6 to 1:13. i am an RN on a general surgical ward. last night i had 11 patients to myself nine of which were immediate post ops, about half of which had drains, pca infusions, or other infusions like insulin infusions, and ivabs. Every patient had at least one injection througout the cpurse of the night for pain relief/ dvt prophalaxis. i had the worst night. it is unsafe as hell. i want to get a new job but getting nursing positions here is so hard. the government has just cut heaps of nursing jobs and this year its estimated less than half of nursing graduates will get a job.

[Bringonthenight]

Wow. i work in queensland australia and our days are 1:6-8 and nights anything from 1:6 to 1:13. i am an RN on a general surgical ward. last night i had 11 patients to myself nine of which were immediate post ops, about half of which had drains, pca infusions, or other infusions like insulin infusions, and ivabs. Every patient had at least one injection througout the cpurse of the night for pain relief/ dvt prophalaxis. i had the worst night. it is unsafe as hell. i want to get a new job but getting nursing positions here is so hard. the government has just cut heaps of nursing jobs and this year its estimated less than half of nursing graduates will get a job.

Your situation sounds very similar to mine! US nurse ratios seem much smaller then here in Aus (Victoria excluded). Although their workload seems to be much more demanding in areas such as paperwork and lengthy head to toe assessments and constantly on the phone to docs/family members. However it appears they have much more "allied health" to assist in getting through a shift that Aus don't have: pharmacists who make up IV antibiotics, respiratory therapists, techs for bloods/IV cannulation/ECGs and CNAs for hygiene and feeding needs!

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

Our med/tele unit (at a hospital on Long Island in NY) is on average 4:1 or 5:1. Have on occasion seen 6:1 but that's pretty rare. Same for day or night shift. I guess it's because our unit is well staffed.