Staffing Ratios in Acute Care Psych (child/adol) Units

[chris_at_lucas_RN]

I work in a psych hospital on a dual unit--we have adolescents on one side and children (up to 12 years) on the other side.

Last evening we had 2-1/2 RN's (one left at 7), and started with 23 patients and got 5 admissions to our crisis stabilization unit, which was closed (insufficient staffing) so they came to us.

We had four techs--two on the children's side and two (usually) on the adoelscent side. But techs can't do meds, call codes, do admissions, take nurse to nurse reports, call the docs for prns, etc.

We were running ourselves ragged; the charge nurse didn't leave until about midnight, and I didn't get out til midnight:45.

We feel we are terribly understaffed but are being told this is a normal/usual staffing ratio.

Days gets an extra nurse. I do see other nurses on other units not having to go nearly as hard as we do, but then, I'm sure they have their busy times too.

So, how many nurses (RN's and LVN's combined) do you have for how many acute care children and adolescents?

[CharlieRN]

We staff our inpatient units the same on evenings as on days. 11 to 7 is lightly staffed because, if things are going correctly, psych patients sleep at night.

[PMHNP10]

We staff our inpatient units the same on evenings as on days. 11 to 7 is lightly staffed because, if things are going correctly, psych patients sleep at night.

I possibly work on the easiest psych floor in the world due to staffing and the fact that RNs screen possible admits and eliminate patients who are an elopment risk, a danger to others, or sexually inappropriate. Nonetheless, there is no such thing as things "going correctly" on a psych unit any time, day or night.