What is the Registered Nurse Patient Ratio at your hospital?

Nurses General Nursing

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Dear all nurses,

Well...first of all, I need to tell that I am doing the research about the Registered Nurse to Patient Ratio for each department in the hospitals in the US. And it's necessary to refer to the hospitals in the US since I think the hospital system there is standardized and can be used as a good source of reference.

I tried searching before but found many about the theory, the abstract, the blah blah blah but no exact number of the required ratio I'm looking for.

That's why I need to ask you guys a favor on this. Please share the Registered Nurse to Patient Ratio. You may tell your department and the ratio. Telling your hospital name too would be excellent but I understand if some of you find it uncomfortable. You can even PM me or leave me a message to PM you for your privacy.

I can guarantee I won't take the information I get to do anything else but for my project only. I'm from a country in South East Asia and just need the reliable data.

I would love to hear from you all soon ;)

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Specializes in Emergency.

I'm in emergency. Ain't not no ratios for us, not before, not now, not ever. We staff 1:4, but the pts don't know that.

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I'm on a Intermediate care post cardiac surgery. 1:4 on days, 1:4-5 on nights

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I work on a critical care unit nights. We generally have 3 to 4 patients with once in a great while 5 if staffing is short. If we are titrating drips then we try to keep it at a 3:1 ratio

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I work on a post cardiac interventional unit, so post PCI/ICD placement and we also function as a telemetry floor when beds are available. We also get all patients s/p heart/lung/kidney transplant as well as pre-op CABG and heart/lung transplant. I was hired under the impression we were 1:6, however, with the same day cath lab patients being discharged and thens subsequent ER admissions, I end up charting on 8+ patients, and lately we're holding onto 7 patients all night without fail. So... I'd say 1:7 :dead:

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Hi everyone

Thank you so much for your answer!

You all are so kind for sharing :D

I do appreciate that!

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I meant to answer you guys one by one but cannot do that. My comment just ended up showing as the latest comment. So please know that I hear every of you.

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Telemetry/step-down unit: 4 on days, 5 on 3-11, 6 on nights

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My current job in telemetry is 1:7 and crazy - the one I start next month is PCU - progressive care unit - and promises a ratio of 1:5 max- we shall see what the reality is once I start lol

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

When I left the floor at my local hospital in 2013 it was 1:6-8 on nights on the med/Surg Oncology floor. Heard it's still the same.

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Wow some of these are scary for me. We staff based on level of care.

ER anywhere from 1:2, 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, maybe 4:1 (all very basic if we're slammed and short, not common).

Med surg is 4:1 or 3:1

Surgical and Intermediate trauma 3:1

Neuro 3:1 or 2:1

Tele mostly 3:1, only 4:1 if they are very basic/obs)

All ICUs 2:1, 1:1, or 1:2

Oncology 3:1, can be less if level of care necessitates

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Wow some of these are scary for me. We staff based on level of care.

ER anywhere from 1:2, 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, maybe 4:1 (all very basic if we're slammed and short, not common).

Med surg is 4:1 or 3:1

Surgical and Intermediate trauma 3:1

Neuro 3:1 or 2:1

Tele mostly 3:1, only 4:1 if they are very basic/obs)

All ICUs 2:1, 1:1, or 1:2

Oncology 3:1, can be less if level of care necessitates

Are these at a real hospital or just what you wish the ratios were???

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