How many patients are you expected to see daily?

[URGR8T]

So I am a fairly new grad (graduated Sept 2013). I am working in a clinic where I see newborns to advanced age. The majority are pediatric (about 80%). Today we had a "meeting" where I was told that I need to increase the amount of patients I see per day. I am seeing around 25 pts/day. I often have to work through lunch to catch up and I come in early to stay on top of all the extra's. I feel maxed. I was told that many providers are seeing up to 50 pts/day! I said I can't do it, and I would end up compromising patient safety if I even attempted that.

So I would love to hear how many patients you see a day, and what your thoughts are about this issue. Is this a reasonable expectation?

[BostonFNP, APRN]

Kind of off topic.,but, you get paid based off the # of pts you see, right?[/quote']

Not really, it's a mix of number of patients and the billing level.

[sweetfreedomgirl]

I know this is an old post, but wanted to throw my two cents in. I am scheduled to see patients every 15 minutes, regardless of the reason for the visit. They called it "open access", but as far as I have seen, Open Access is normally leaving appointments reserved for same day urgent visits. Nope, not where I work....they are just 15 minute slots for whatever that get scheduled whenever. And despite the promise that this would eliminate double bookings, I still get them. We have an online scheduling system, so a patient can call and make an appointment and for some reason, there is a delay that could be several days before it shows up on the schedule, while in the meantime, someone else has been scheduled into that slot. I work in women's health, so I could have an IUD insertion double booked with an infection check! It stinks! I am scheduled every 15 minutes, with half an hour for lunch, which I often end up charting through. I often have anywhere from 27-30 patients. I have one back assistant who gets a history and does some education, but if I need her to do something after I see the patient, I usually need to do it because she is busy with the next patient. Oh, and that 15 minutes includes charting! Right now, if I am super busy, I set the charts aside and chart when I can, but they are now talking about having the charting done before the patient leaves so they can go home with a visit summary....they want me to chart in the room so it's done right then and there.

Oh, and I can make more as an RN at the local hospital!!! So yes, I am looking for something else. Actually, I have gone back to school for my FNP and DNP so I can teach. This experience has burned me out for clinical work!

[BostonFNP, APRN]

Ouch that sounds awful.

[Alicia777, MSN, NP]

Yuck!

[Senny.ANP.FNP]

That does sound awful and may at times even be unsafe. Good luck!

[Bumashes, MSN, APRN, NP]

My part time job in pain management has me see about 30-40 pts per day for either injections or pre-injection exams. I work a10 hr day with an hr for lunch. It's a very focused exam, so it only takes a short time which makes this many pts very doable.

[Jm0136]

I am an FNP in urgent care.  We see two years up to death.  I have been with this practice two years as a new NP. 
acuity ranges from asymptomatic covid testing to respiratory failure with hypoxia. 
with the local ERs being on total diversion we have been seeing an increase in acuity levels big time.  
today I was the solo provider and discharged a total of 103 patients.  This included a critical high glucose with in house lab and treatment.   A complicated abdominal wall abscess.   Facial laceration. Febrile pediatric patients.  Fractures.  Lyme disease.  Multiple pts with > 2 problems.  UTIs.  Chest pain.  Covid pneumonia.   And everything in between.  Some of these pts are elderly or with multiple comorbids.  But yes I still assess history before anything else. 
is it safe? No.  Are the patients getting the best care, probably not.  Am I doing everything in my power to make the patient visit a pleasant experience with most expectations met?  Yes. 
man I being paid fairly by my employer? Most definitely not. 
I would love to see 20-50 pts a day ! ????

[MentalKlarity, BSN, NP]

8-12 daily

[sleepwalker, MSN, NP]

the original posting is 7 years old

[djmatte, ADN, MSN, RN, NP]

25-30 was the norm in my last job. Even you were maxing numbers, they still wanted you to see more. It’s the biggest thing that pushed me back into the military. Now we get 20 min appointments with a lot of latitude in whether we need to extend the visit timeframe. All I know is I’m retiring from active duty in 11 years and will be able to dictate my own patient load on my own terms likely in my own clinic. Eff that killing yourself so an MD can underpay you and make profit hand over fist.