How many is too many?

smileysenior · May 25, 2006

I think that 6 patients should be the max anywere.

viena · May 25, 2006

are you serious that is unacceptable

grentea · May 25, 2006

Shoot....I thought 6 or 7 patients was unsafe but 34!!!! That is definitely, definitely unsafe. Not that anything could make this a better situation but what kind of help do you have? You have some LPN's and CNA's, right? In any case, if you're the only RN on that floor for 34 patients that is totally, completely unsafe. I would strongly urge you to protect your license and find work at a hospital where the nurse/patient is at least in the single digits. I'm sure you're an excellent nurse. I mean to organize the care of 34 patients every day you must be, but it shouldn't be like that. That is a dangerous situation, and I'm sure you can find a much better situation elsewhere.

mich_01085 · May 25, 2006

I should have added that I am a new LPN (9 month) and that this is a LTC facility. The only help I get is from the 4 CNA's I have working the unit with me.

CarVsTree · May 26, 2006

I have no psych experience, so I don't know the answer to safe staffing levels in psych. Perhaps you should post your question in the Psych Nursing forum https://allnurses.com/forums/f46/

Good luck!

christvs, DNP, RN, NP · May 26, 2006

That is just crazy!!! Why do LTC facilities have such unsafe numbers I do not know. I do not like taking more than 5 pts on my med/sug/tele unit, esp. if a couple of them are having active CP or some other pressing issue. I think pt acuity plays a part in deciding how many pts is a safe # for one nurse to take, but no one should have 34!!!

TopherSRN · May 26, 2006

depends on how much you like your license

LPN1974, LPN · May 26, 2006

My question is simple. Is there a limit to the number of patients a single nurse can take care of safely? In my job on a Med/Psych unit, I have 34 patients to take care of. This includes all the paperwork, Dr. calls & orders, admissions, discharges, treatments, ordering supplies, answering family questions, etc... My DON says it can be done, but I've seen 2 very experienced nurses leave the floor after stating it was unsafe for one person to run this unit. Any thoughts on this??

34 is good compared to what some LPNs have to do.

I did a LTC for awhile, and had about 45 patients. I was on the night shift, from 7p to 7a and some admins think night nurses don't have anything to do.

The job I'm on now, I care for about 40...average.

We USUALLY have 3 nurses so 40 is an average.

I expect that this summer, with vacations coming up, we may have days where we'll have just 2 nurses, and that could equal out to about 60 patients per nurse. However, we are not a geriactric facility. We care for the mentally challenged, and even tho it is a challenge, it is NOT as hard as a geriactric facility, where the elderly get sick and go down so fast.

But it isn't a piece of cake, either, when we work with just 2 nurses. It can be very difficult.

One thing that makes our job tougher right now, is that we have just switched over to medication administration by computer, and the program STILL has alot of bugs in it. Sometimes the computers just won't cooperate, and throw 2 nurses out there with a bunch of cranky computers and you end with nurses threatening to quit.

Ahhh, well, just my 2 cents worth.

Everyday, I'm one day closer to retirement.