How Does This Staffing Sound to You?

[westieluv]

I recently accepted a position on a sub-acute rehab unit that consists of both post-op rehab patients and some long term care patients. I am RN who will be working nights (11pm-7am) and the staffing looks like this:

34 patient capacity on unit, one RN, one LPN, and three aides. This is only the midnight staffing, days and evenings get more help, which is to be expected.

My thoughts are this: No huge med passes to do, no meals, no getting patients ready to go down to therapy, and no new admissions, as this facility only takes admissions during day and evening shifts. I realize that not every patient will sleep through the night (I have worked midnights extensively in the past), but still, compared to a LTC facility that I worked at where I was the only nurse with two aides on the evening shift and had dinner, a huge med pass at 8pm, AND admissions to deal with, and still had 25 patients, this staffing doesn't sound too bad. Actually, the employees that work at the facility where I will be working seem to be pretty happy, and many of them drive quite a distance to work there, when there are many, many other facilities in this area that would be closer for them, so I'm hoping that that means something good.

So does 34 patients on midnights with one RN, one LPN, and three aides sound decent to you, or do you think it will be crazy busy all night long?

[JenniferSews]

Our unit with about that many skilled/LTC mixed residents has one nurse and two aids for that ratio. That sounds pretty good.

[westieluv]

Great, thanks for the info! I think I will really like this job. I have been working as an on-call hospice nurse and my job basically consists of driving to patients' homes in the middle of the night to pronounce them when they die. It is getting very depressing and harder and harder to do, so I am working out my two weeks' notice now and I look forward to working inpatient again with patients who are actually going to get better as opposed to working hospice. God bless people who can do it for years, I couldn't.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

34 patients for NOC/midnight shift at a SNF/subacute facility is excellent. I would jump on this offer rather quickly.

[westieluv]

Thank you, I did!

[Guest296136]

I just started on same shift, 32 pt's to 2 Rn's and 2 aides, subacute many 3 day postop from total hip, knees etc, it is not too bad until 4:30am when I have to do the vitals, blood sugars, bladder scans, straight caths and then do meds, I haven't been able to get out on time yet. I think it would go faster if everything was computerized, they are in the stone age, all documentation is on paper, which takes more time.

[Nessa,RN]

I don't know how the acuity compares but at my acute rehab unit on nights there are about 12 patients per floor with 3-4 RNs but no aides or unit clerks, so the RNs literally do everything! Patient to nurse ration doesn't exceed 4:1