Average # of admissions and discharges per shift

[noyesno, MSN, APRN, NP]

On my floor (ortho/neuro/trauma), the turn around seems to be really quick. I usually discharge half my team during my eight hour shift and get a couple of admissions to replace the discharges.

My (day) shift goes like this:

-Start with 6 patients

-Discharge 2 or 3 of them

-Get 1 or 2 admissions

I'm curious to see if this is typical for most floors.

How many admissions and discharges do you average during your shift?

What specialty do you work?

What shift (days, PM's or nights)?

Thanks!

noyesno

[canchaser, BSN, RN]

Yep, that sounds right. I work step down 24 beds in 24 hours I have seen 15 pts discharge and the beds refill, it can be very tiring!!

[new_worker]

TO MUCH PAPER WORK!!!

[Jekajunkin]

I work on a Telemetry floor on day shift. I see 1 to 2 discharges and 1 to 2 admissions per shift. Each admission takes 2 hours to complete all the paper work. Discharges are much faster usually. When you have a vent patient, one in 4 pt restraints going through alcohol withdrawals and another with a wound vac on a stage 4 sacral decub with MRSA, and finally 2 walkie talkies, how are we supposed to find time to do admissions and discharges.......grrrrr. I have only 10 months experience but i just have not found how to get it all done yet. Any inside tricks????

[noyesno, MSN, APRN, NP]

I work on a Telemetry floor on day shift. I see 1 to 2 discharges and 1 to 2 admissions per shift. Each admission takes 2 hours to complete all the paper work. Discharges are much faster usually. When you have a vent patient, one in 4 pt restraints going through alcohol withdrawals and another with a wound vac on a stage 4 sacral decub with MRSA, and finally 2 walkie talkies, how are we supposed to find time to do admissions and discharges.......grrrrr. I have only 10 months experience but i just have not found how to get it all done yet. Any inside tricks????

Grrrr... I feel your pain! Your floor sounds very heavy. I'm not sure how we're suppose to find the time and I haven't discovered any inside tricks yet (I only have 6 weeks of experience!).

[noyesno, MSN, APRN, NP]

TO MUCH PAPER WORK!!!

I agree! I feel bad for the trees.

[noyesno, MSN, APRN, NP]

Yep, that sounds right. I work step down 24 beds in 24 hours I have seen 15 pts discharge and the beds refill, it can be very tiring!!

Such quick turnovers!

[nurse.sandi]

Hi. I worked on a stroke unit, which turned into a neuro unit and this then an overflow of a med-surge unit. Your story sounds typical of this unit. I worked 7p - 7a. Sometimes we had a high turn over depending on what was going on on other units. The nursing supervisor would decide in the bed meetings if they could move patients so they could cut nurses and/or pull nurses around. It was typical to start with 5 patients, discharge, admit in the first four hours and then get pulled to another unit. Usually when you got pulled this nurse received this worst patient load, the patients were all over the unit, and a lot of times the sickest patients. So, answer to your question...this is how they do it. The day shift nurses were run into the ground. My best advice...put your running shoes on and watch out for wet floors..Good luck.

[Aeterna, BSN, RN]

On my floor, for day shifts, our patient-nurse ratio is 4-5:1. Plus, we're medical-oncology so, often, it takes our patients a bit longer to recover (i.e. chemo patients). We also have a huge ALC crisis in our city so we get plenty of "bed blockers" as well. Also, due to the nature of our floor, we get a number of palliative patients, too, so obviously we cannot discharge them - their bed only empties after they've passed away.

It's not unusual for me to go through an entire shift without seeing a single discharge or transfer. Sometimes, I'll get one discharge/transfer. Rarely, two.

[noyesno, MSN, APRN, NP]

Hi. I worked on a stroke unit, which turned into a neuro unit and this then an overflow of a med-surge unit. Your story sounds typical of this unit. I worked 7p - 7a. Sometimes we had a high turn over depending on what was going on on other units. The nursing supervisor would decide in the bed meetings if they could move patients so they could cut nurses and/or pull nurses around. It was typical to start with 5 patients, discharge, admit in the first four hours and then get pulled to another unit. Usually when you got pulled this nurse received this worst patient load, the patients were all over the unit, and a lot of times the sickest patients. So, answer to your question...this is how they do it. The day shift nurses were run into the ground. My best advice...put your running shoes on and watch out for wet floors..Good luck.

Thanks nurse.sandi. Sounds like I have a lot to look forward to. They haven't floated me yet. I still have 5 and a half weeks of orientation left. I bet the real fun begins once I'm off orientation.

I always wear running shoes and a sports bra. Sometimes, I bust into a light job when the hall is clear. I'll watch out for the wet floors. :)

[noyesno, MSN, APRN, NP]

On my floor, for day shifts, our patient-nurse ratio is 4-5:1. Plus, we're medical-oncology so, often, it takes our patients a bit longer to recover (i.e. chemo patients). We also have a huge ALC crisis in our city so we get plenty of "bed blockers" as well. Also, due to the nature of our floor, we get a number of palliative patients, too, so obviously we cannot discharge them - their bed only empties after they've passed away.

It's not unusual for me to go through an entire shift without seeing a single discharge or transfer. Sometimes, I'll get one discharge/transfer. Rarely, two.

Thanks for your reply Aeterna.

I was thinking oncology would have a slower patient turnover. That's nice because you really get to know your patients. Got to be tough when your patient's pass away though. I have a ton of respect for oncology nurses.

[blue heeler]

post surgical, night shift. rarely, a discharge, always an admit or 2. this is why i love nights. :)