How many patient's do you normally have?

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Do you ICU nurses ever have more than 2 pt's? How often if you do?

We get 3 pt's every now and then, usually one or two of them are waiting to transfer in the AM.

My main question is how do you deal with being assigned a third pt, mainly when someone else is 1:1 with a technically stable pt?

Just looking for insight. Thanks

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatric.

I work in a peds CTICU. My state regulates that pediatric nurses never get more than 4 patients. And in the ICU, you won't get more than 2 patients. A pair (2 pts.), though, tends to be more work on the nurse. The floor I work on is extremely high acuity, though, so it might not be comparing apples to apples. In a less-acute ICU, I know that adult RNs can get up to 3 patients.

My suggestion: swallow your anger/resentment on the days when you feel like you have one too many patients. In the end, it will make you a better nurse. On my unit, I know that if you can take care of the worst/busiest/most inappropriate pair, you can take care of the SICKEST postop or otherwise critical patient. Look at it as a growing experience (as hard as that may be!).

Hope that helps :)

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I'm usually not angry when I get three patient's. Sometimes you can't help getting a third patient when you're short staffed. The only time I get mad is if I get the third patient when some other nurses haven't had a third patient in forever and less acute patient's.

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Specializes in ICU-my whole life!!.

You could suggest to start a roster just like when you float...That will take care of the slackers.

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We had a list and they stopped doing it because they said it was "stupid." I'm not sure how but whatever.

It's not really a problem but when I'm taking care of 3 and the nurse next to me has 1 and is doing nothing it kind of ticks me off.

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Specializes in ICU-my whole life!!.

I see...your manager either sucks or she/he sucks. The list will prevent that kind of nonsense. That is one of my pet peeves and it really ticks me off big time if I see a pattern on that.

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Specializes in Critical Care Nursing AKA ICU.

My suggestion: swallow your anger/resentment on the days when you feel like you have one too many patients. In the end, it will make you a better nurse. On my unit, I know that if you can take care of the worst/busiest/most inappropriate pair, you can take care of the SICKEST postop or otherwise critical patient. Look at it as a growing experience (as hard as that may be!).

Hope that helps :)

thats the problem with nursing...with that attitude, when i first came out of school CVVHDs/ Balloon pumps were 1:1, but we had these "super" nurses that started taking two pts. now it is EXPECTED to take two pts... :mad:

the best part is i used to have to recover TAAAs and have another pt on a CVVHD down the hall :mad:

learned my lessoned and got out of that hell hole did it for 7yrs...

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