Survey on how many patients you get in a shift

Specialties NICU

Published

I know some states have regulations for ICU units, NICU is an ICU soooo we SHOULD be getting only a maximum of 2 patients per shift. Am I one of the unfortunate ones who got stuck working in a hospital who shoves you 3-4 patients??!!? Sometimes even 5. Yes. Hourlies and all that. Should I leave and go elsewhere? Or is elsewhere the same too? Ughhh!!!

Wow! We are constantly short staffed in my unit, mixed level II/III but we have never had more than 4 patients in an assignment. Our charge will take an assignment, we gets peds floats or they call in our administrators to help. I have definitely felt like I was in unsafe assignments and ran my tail off barely getting the minimum done though, and that is not a good feeling. I am soon leaving my unit, as we are moving to another state, and this kind of makes me nervous! I work night shift and our only real help is 2-3 RTs. Our census is usually in the 40s

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Last week (on orientation), I had a 24 wk/2 day old micro premie on the oscillator, a chronic infant with constant desats on NC O2, and a newborn r/o sepsis. A little steep for orientation...

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Specializes in NICU, telemetry.

It's crazy to me that the standard for some of your NICUs is 1:1 for oscillator and jet babies! No matter how unstable our babies are, our only 1:1 assignments are ECMO. In NICU, it's always 2-3 patients, 2 baby assignments for any type of vent. In special care, 3-4 babies.

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Specializes in NICU.

What would be your ideal ratio, littlepeople?

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Specializes in NICU, telemetry.
What would be your ideal ratio, littlepeople?

I'm fine with ours! I guess because I don't know any different and this is just what we do...but usually there is no problem being 2:1 or 3:1 in intensive end and 3-4:1 in special care.

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