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Discussion

Aussie patient loads

Hey, Aussie nurses.

I'm a student in my second year of the 3-year RN course at uni. I've been reading some really scary things about patient loads in the US, especially on night shifts. On my pracs, the most I have ever seen a nurse have is 6 patients - granted, it's a day shift, but have any of you had frightening patient loads? Like, 9-13 patients on your own? I know that around my neck of the woods, they aim for 4:1.

Let me know, I need the next year to get my head around it if I am going to have 9 people to myself!:rotfl: :uhoh21:

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Well, I'm in Victoria, and I work in acute care at a tertiary (Level 1) hospital, so no - we have 1:4 on days, 1:8 on nights.

Even with the ratios, some areas do have higher patient loads, but the facilities are less acute. I can't remember the ratios exactly, but it's something like level 2 hospitals have 1:4 on an AM, 1:5 on a PM, 1:10 on nights; level 3 have 1:5 on an AM, 1:6 on a PM and 1:15 on nights. Don't quote me on that,t hough.

When I was a student (waaaaay pre-ratios) I had 1:8 on my own on occasion, but I was training through my hospital, wasn't a drug checker, and they weren't very sick or dependant.

Hope this helps :)

  • Experts

We use Trendcare - a computerised patient dependency program to work out ratio's - works reasonably well IF you are staffed to trendcare.

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