General Nursing Poll...What is the nurse to patient ratio at your hosptial?

[Polly Dipcya]

What is the nurse to patient ratio at the hospital you work at? Do you feel its to high. Safe?? Is the hospital adequately staffed when the census is low? I work in a small rural hosp. on the med/surg floor, normally the ratio is 7:1 ( can go as high as 9). We don't get an aide unless the until the census is 9 (11 on nights). If the census is low eg. 4 then its one RN on the floor by herself, we can call on respiratory to help provided that they're not in ER or another dept. (Only on RT per shift for whole hosp). Our average census is about 13-14...We get 2 nurses and one cna. I'd appreciate any feedback...Thanks:wink2:

[Kohern]

At the hospital I work at it's usually 4 patients on our med/ surg floor. We get 5 on a very busy/short staffed day, and three on a lucky day. We also have a CNA. Night shift's usually take 5-6 patients with one CNA on the floor.

[jessiern, BSN, RN]

Usually try for 4:1, but sometimes we have to go higher. Rarely more than 6:1. And we usually have a tech, unless they call in.

[AprilRNhere]

Days....RN alone gets 2-3 pt's and RN/LPN team gets 4.

Evenings RN alone 3-4 pt's and RN/LPN team get 5-6

Nights RN alone gets 4-5, RN/LPN team gets 6-7

We have no CNA's employed at the hospital.

[AprilRNhere]

And- I just HAVE to add....the day nurses STILL find a way to complain about those numbers..and actually will refuse admits based on staffing! Sometimes they start with 3, discharge 1-2..and STILL refuse admits claiming total pt load is too heavy..even though their patients are gone!

[CroaNurse]

At my hospital its usually 6-7 to 1 on days and 8 to 9 sometimes 10 at night with only one aid- i would like to know where you guys work haha

4:1? wow i never had that, only in my dreams :)

[loriangel14, RN]

Where I work days gets 4:1 and evenings gets 5-6:1. RNs and RPNs(LPNs to you) get the same pt load and we have no aides, we do our own care.My hospital has 26 beds and night shift is staffed with 2 RNs only.

[AnnieNHRN]

Med/Surg days 4-5 pts (sometimes 3 or 6)

Nights 5-7 pts (I have done 9 though)

We have 1 or 2 LNA's for the unit (max 20 pts) with a secretary on days.

I think the ratios are pretty good. The other tele units usually only have 3 pts each (sometimes 4).

[Babs0512]

At our hospital, on med surg, typical assignments would be as follows:

Day shift 6-8:RN

Evening 6-8:RN

Nights 8-10:RN

There is usually one sometimes two aids for the entire floor. Each med surge floor has, during full census 21 to 24 patients.

[NurseCard, ADN]

Our Med/Surge unit has 39 beds.

Day shift: Typically about 5-6 to 1 for RN's and LPN's (no RN/LPN teams) and about 10 or 12 to 1 for CNA's, though day shift sometimes gets more CNA's then night shift so their ratio might be 6-8 to 1.

Night shift, the ratios are typically about the same as day shift though we are typically staffed better because we have more staff and better retention than days, and because the RN's on night shift actually have more to do than day shift. We pass a lot more meds than day shift and usually have just as many admits. The only thing day shift RN's do more is discharge.

[Gr8Dane]

Day Shift: 6-8 (mostly 7)

Evening/Night Shift-7-8

We have a 40 patient Med surge unit, generally 3-5 Techs/Aides, but as of late we have been down to 2 due to bad hospital retention.

[justapeep]

Well after reading some of the numbers you all wrote about I am feeling pretty good. I work 3-11, we usually have 3/4 nurses on our acute medical(all but heart patients)/oncology/hospice floor and we usually have 4/5 pts. I feel that staffing should not be based on how many pts are on the floor but the acuity of those pts.

Just a thought...