I'm a nurse in a level III NICU that cares for both level II and level III babies. Over the past year, nurse/patient ratios have gotten absolutely absurd!! Our typical used to be 1:1 for jets/oscillators/very unstable, 1:2 for stable vents, and 1:3 for IVs and feeders. Only under the most extreme of circumstances would a nurse ever find herself with a 1:4 assignment. Now, 1:4 seems to be handed out very casually. Any kid not on a vent could be in an assignment of 4, including new admits from the previous shift.
This seems very risky to me. It is very frustrating for the nurses. After all, those little guys aren't still in the NICU b/c they are stable, able to wolf down a bottle in a minute flat, and no longer having A/B's, now are they? Yet, when there are 3 others in an assignment, how do you keep a close enough eye on all of them (and not pull all your hair out by the end of the shift.) UGH!! The lengths to which some hospitals will go to save a couple of bucks...
It can't be like this everywhere! (In fact, I believe it's cause for reporting a unit in CA, now that they have mandatory ratios). What are the ratios in the other units out there? (And where are they...'cause if this keeps up, I'll be packing my bags!)