How many patients are you caring for?

mcknis · Sep 9, 2008

Let's get all real staffing ratio's out for discussion!
Where do you work?
How many patients do you take care of?
What type of patient care unit is it?
Is the staffing safe?
Any near misses?

1. Hospital (7a-7p)

2. 5-7 (usually start with 6 and it adjusts from there)

3. med-surg/telemetry

4. depends on acuity, sometimes yes, sometimes no

5. have been a few d/t staffing. just the other day had to wait 15 minutes to get report because many call-offs on day shift and nurse was on her way in after getting called only 45min prior, and already had a 30 min drive to get to work

RN Power Ohio · Sep 11, 2008

Mcknis- what part of the state are you in?

mcknis · Sep 12, 2008

Central Ohio near Marion

kmcasey1 · Sep 24, 2008

I work on a med-surg/telemetry unit in Zanesville Ohio

Our patient to nurse ratio is 5:1

Staffing is safe

PACIFICWHALES · Sep 25, 2008

8 to 1 Springfield Oh

its out of control:scrying:

RN Power Ohio · Sep 25, 2008

What type of unit? What shift?

It is important to get as much info as possible from as many types of units and as many hospitals as possible.

Nurses need to keep clost track of this to see if the new "common sense" staffing law is effective. How have staffing plans changed anything (we all know they won't but how do we demonstrate that?)

If we want to introduce and pass the Ohio Patient Protection act and stop this madness we must report and tell what is happening in our hospitals.

It is time for minimum mandated Nurse to Patient ratio's in Ohio!!

www.calnurses.org/nnoc/ohio

PM me if you want :)

Together we can make a difference.

RN Ohio Power · Sep 25, 2008

If I understand the new law, the staffing plans will not go into effect for about 6 months. My plan is to get on the committee so my voice is heard.

Eirene, ASN, RN · Sep 25, 2008

Let's get all real staffing ratio's out for discussion!
Where do you work?
How many patients do you take care of?
What type of patient care unit is it?
Is the staffing safe?
Any near misses?
It would be great to get the complete story from hospitals across the state and all types of hospitals- teaching, community, for profit, non-profit...
Describe some events that have occurred or nearly occurred because of short staffing.
With all of the discussion of adverse outcomes and never events it's time for us to document how errors occur because there are not enough nurses at the bedside!

Community Hospital; not-for-profit

Nurse to patient ratio is 4:1-- less if the patient is more acute/vented/etc. Ratios are the same am or pm shift.

PCU. When floated to the ICU-- ratios are 1:1

Yes... very safe.

MIKE411 · Oct 7, 2008

Did a nurse / patient ratio bill pass for the state of ohio?

RN Power Ohio · Oct 7, 2008

Did a nurse / patient ratio bill pass for the state of ohio?

No it did not!!!

What passed is faux reform

On Sept. 10 the hospital industry's so-called Common-Sense Staffing Law goes into effect. Ohio RNs know that this phony reform bill will not add up to life-saving staffing changes. The law was devised as an attempt to block true reform that the Ohio Hospital Patient Protection Act would provide - safe staffing with accountability! While the law does not say that the staffing plan has to be adhered to, it does state that the committee should be composed of at least 50 percent direct-care RNs. As patient advocates, duty demands that we monitor the impact or lack of impact that the law has on patient care. We are asking direct care RNs to monitor these staffing plans as they are implemented in hospitals and report your experiences to NNOC Ohio. The data you provide will be used to reinforce our position that the only solution for safe patient care is minimum, mandated ratios -- improved upon as individual patient need demands!

http://www.calnurses.org/nnoc/ohio/

Read the actual law for yourself on the Ohio.gov website. You will see how weak it really is...

This type of fake reform has been passing around the country and hasn't improved staffing at all. That's the intent of it.

mcknis · Oct 9, 2008

This is sadly pathetic! When will the government realize that unsafe staffing is truly unsafe. Last week I took care of my bosses mother on the same unit she works on. I feel this is unethical, but also unsafe. She wanted us to do so much MORE for her mother than we do typically for any other pt. Of course we were understaffed that day, and if something would have happened, it would have been my fault! I can't wait until ALL the government realize that there are things we can't do (even basic care) for our pt due to understaffing!!!