Do the math...

[sharann, BSN, RN]

Now I am not a math whiz or anything but in my opinion the short staffing crisis(read:the crisis created by hospitals)can be solved by a simple math equation:

Let x=number of patients we must take per shift.

Let y= # of hours needed to spend charting on each pt

Let z= The hours we work in a shift

Let t= the time we can spend with each pt

Problem: Solve for "t"

x=10 (average nowadays in non-ICU)

y=1

z=12 (or more)

t=?

Well, as I said I'm not a math whiz, but the gist of this is obvious. The "t" or TIME we have to devote to each patient is possibly a few MINUTES per shift. The charting,phone calls,emergencies,codes,families,doctors,calls from lab,calls from x-ray,and basic troubleshooting take up the rest of the "patient hour". If one has 12 patients, well...

you better do the math, cuz I'm sick.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

Yep and *their* reponse will be "you are being NEGATIVE, you need to work smarter not harder.....you need to be proactive..."

The solution to the shortage in my opinion would be to close down all the Hospital Management courses, get rid of the suits and the clipboard people and let the nurses back at the helm of the hospitals. Shoot we did it for 90 years....didn't we?