AWHONN Guidelines for staffing

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Specializes in NICU.

I'm just curious... does anyone work at a hospital that follows AWHONN's recommended staffing guidelines?

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

Im curious what is their guidelines?? I've been looking on their website but cant find it

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The guidelines per AWHONN that our hospital tries to follow when staffing allows are:

1:1 labor (especially transition)

1:3 m/b couplets

This also changes based on acuity.

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Specializes in NICU.
Im curious what is their guidelines?? I've been looking on their website but cant find it

Here is an article that lays out the guidelines:

New AWHONN Guidelines for Staffing Perinatal Units Focus on Nurses' Achievements | The OB/GYN Nurse-NP/PA

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Specializes in NICU.
The guidelines per AWHONN that our hospital tries to follow when staffing allows are:

1:1 labor (especially transition)

1:3 m/b couplets

This also changes based on acuity.

@marienurse18 - I'm curious where you work (if you wouldn't mind PMing me). My husband and I will be moving in the next couple of years and I really want to find a hospital that at least tries to abide by the recommendations. I understand staffing is sometimes an issue, but we aren't even budgeted anywhere near close to the recommendations. I often feel my patients get shortchanged with education, etc because our budget doesn't allow us to be staffed properly :(

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Specializes in L&D/Maternity nursing.

We do on my unit. Unless we have sick calls and then sometimes we will take 4 mom-baby it two inductions until the pt is active.

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Specializes in Obstetrics.

Nope. Most days I have 4 couplets, there have been times I've had 5. Night shift at our hospital, if L&D isn't super busy, usually starts out 4's and 5's. We're not allowed to go into overtime and we do not have on call. A while ago, we were aiming for AWHONN staffing guidelines but it never happened. I've even had 5 couplets, one being a patient on mag sulfate. It was so fun. :-/

Unfortunately it seems budget is more important to the hospital than patient safety. :-( And I agree that it seems as if you no longer have the time to really educate patients as you're rushed. It stinks :-(

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Specializes in NICU.
Nope. Most days I have 4 couplets, there have been times I've had 5. Night shift at our hospital, if L&D isn't super busy, usually starts out 4's and 5's. We're not allowed to go into overtime and we do not have on call. A while ago, we were aiming for AWHONN staffing guidelines but it never happened. I've even had 5 couplets, one being a patient on mag sulfate. It was so fun. :-/

Unfortunately it seems budget is more important to the hospital than patient safety. :-( And I agree that it seems as if you no longer have the time to really educate patients as you're rushed. It stinks :-(

That sounds pretty much like the place I work now :-( except that we do go into overtime (pretty much forced) because we work call twice a month. I LOVE my job and am so thankful to be working in an area that I love. I'm just really hoping that I can find a place that values safety and has the budget to back it.

I also really want to work at a more breastfeeding friendly hospital. Some days I work so hard with a mom only to find out the next nurse hates :mad: breastfeeding and recommends "supplementing" with formula only to lose all progress we made and by discharge the baby is completely on bottle. :( Luckily we have lactation services available to help us but they aren't available at night when baby tends to cluster feed and moms get stressed :grumpy:

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Specializes in Obstetrics.

That sounds pretty much like the place I work now :-( except that we do go into overtime (pretty much forced) because we work call twice a month. I LOVE my job and am so thankful to be working in an area that I love. I'm just really hoping that I can find a place that values safety and has the budget to back it.

I also really want to work at a more breastfeeding friendly hospital. Some days I work so hard with a mom only to find out the next nurse hates :mad: breastfeeding and recommends "supplementing" with formula only to lose all progress we made and by discharge the baby is completely on bottle. :( Luckily we have lactation services available to help us but they aren't available at night when baby tends to cluster feed and moms get stressed :grumpy:

Same. We are pretty breast feeding friendly and are working on baby friendly as a whole. But there are still nurses who would prefer bottle. And I have been in the same situation with spending so much time helping a mom with latch to find out all of that hard work was for nothing, the next day. :-/ Our lactation nurses are only on day shift so I'm in the same boat and with the staffing the way it is, I honestly don't have all of the time it takes to be on a G1P1's room helping for an hour with breast feeding while my other 4 patients are calling for help as well. It's disheartening. :-( Unfortunately I don't think the grass is going to be greener on the other side. It's what healthcare is turning out to be :-/

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At this time we are Postpartum/Nursery, with 5 moms, no CNA or tech.We are in the process of becoming " Baby Friendly", and realize we need to go back to couplet care. The staff has expressed their opinion on ratio numbers with all the care and teaching involved that 3 couplets it should be. We do have lactation, but limited hours on day shift. I will keep my fellow OB nurses informed of our progress. LOL

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I would love to know where you work melmarie23! LOL

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I pretty much have four to five couplets. Most patients' I've every had was 11.

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