What's your RN to pt ratio for nights?

jonnygirl27 · Aug 2, 2006

Our night target ratio is 5:1, max 6:1. We very rarely have 7 patients, and when that happens we have to fill out incident reports and such. Days are target 4:1, max 5:1, with the same protocol if they go to 6.

sangreal · Aug 2, 2006

was 10 most nights...

Tweety, BSN, RN · Aug 2, 2006

6 to 8.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Aug 3, 2006

On one hand, that seems like alot (because a 7p-7a shift means you still have awake and active patients until like 10 or 11...?). On the other hand, from say midnight to 5 am, I'd imagine it'd be fairly quiet? I realize there's pain meds, and drains to change and check, etc, but more routine care such as dressing changes is usually done during daytimes, isn't it? Do mornings (5-7, before report) get crazy again?

Thanks for the input, I really appreciate it!

RN2B07 · Aug 4, 2006

Our night ratio is 6:1...there are many nights where 5 of my pts are up all night. Other nights it calms down and pts sleep. I do dsg changes...soemtimes it didnt get done on days or it may have some bloody drainage and need it. It definitely gets busy from 5-7a, CNA's are busy doing VS..pts wake up in pain. Then time to start 6am meds and routine dsg. changes. :uhoh3:

debblynn13 · Aug 4, 2006

We have 7-8 pt/rn occassionally as high as 9. We also have 2-3 aides for 26-30 pts. I work 12 hour day / night rotation and both shifts can be busy. I work on an oncology floor, so at night we have many IV antibiotics, iv push pain/nausea medications, and blood products. Oh and don't forget the confused people who want to crawl out of bed all night long. In between that we check med sheets, doctors orders, and the kardex. Around 5 we do blood draws, the majority of our patients have central line draws q day. So there is usually no sitting being bored....

Debblynn

knx0224 · Aug 13, 2006

I work a Med/Surg floor that takes a lot of level 2 Trauma overflow and we work with a max of 5 each. We have an aide occasionally to do VS and Postops, but we have to do all of our own admissions and it sucks! We work 12s and sometimes its 3 am before you can chart. Last night when I came in we just found out one pt had a PE-had to start hep gtt, anothers Hgb was 6.2-3 U PRBC, anothers BP was 75/40-had to bolus, etc, etc....

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

jjfadd · Aug 15, 2006

Typically 6-7 during the noc....very seldom do we get 8. 2 Aides max for the unit. It's a 30 bed medical unit. We had to with 8 the other night, and could just barely keep up.

During the day, usually 6 pts. max with and Aide and 4 pts max going solo.

RNinSoCal · Aug 15, 2006

We are 1:5, but once in a while have to take 6 if there is an emergency noc admit from ER or PACU. No CNAs on night shift. We do have a charge nurse without pts. As far as being quiet on nights, nope. I always have to laugh when people think pts sleep all night. The post-ops are nauseated and in pain. The detoxes are frantic. The confused are pulling out their IVs/NGs/Foleys and getting up to look for someone who is not there. The incontinent are making lovely messes for you to clean up, (no CNAs). You have to check your charts for all the orders and meds missed today because YOU are the one who will be blamed for missed orders for the next shift. If you are lucky enough to be on a team work centered unit it can be good to work nights. If the nurses on your unit are the "that's not my patient" types it can be really hard. I am on nights now for the lovely lovely 15% differential. I do also like nights for the autonomy- no one is breathing down my neck with their agenda.

MT RN · Aug 15, 2006

34 bed med-surg/ortho unit. We usually have 7-8 pts. on nights, can have as many as 9. Assignments are made to groups of rooms with no thought as to the acuity of the pts. I've had as many as 4 pts. getting blood at the same time, 6 pts. with PCA's that need to be checked q4, 5 fresh post-op TKR's that need CPM's set up, etc, you get the idea. In addition we have to check all the orders and reconcile the MAR's for the next day. It can be really rough some nights.

Management has also cut back drastically on our CNA's, we usually have one at night if we're lucky.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Aug 15, 2006

I'm feeling the pinch of overwork ffrom reading these posts; I haven't even started the unit yet!!

I know it's 6-8 for evening shift, and then at 11 I'll be getting up to (expect to get) 9 for the rest of the night until 7am. Seems like a ridiculous load to me, but then again, I know I have time to work myself into that--something like a month. Doesn't seem like alot of time, though, to get used to what some of you described. :uhoh3:

Still, I'm looking forward to the unit itself; the 35 beds are always maxed out, so I'm almost guaranteed to not be bored with the types of patients--looks like a good mix of everything comes through there. We'll see! :)