How many Pt do you take care of?

tweetyd · Jan 17, 2006

hospital meg/surg 9-11

longterm 15

state is VA

SamNurse80 · Jan 20, 2006

Indiana ICU 1-2 pts/nurse. Usually one tech for 30 patients.

farishtaRN · Jan 20, 2006

I used to work (now I'm a school nurse in Thailand --- but this applies for last year) in a hospital in IL in cardiac tele and CICU. 4-5 pts per RN, 7-9 pts for PCTS (and usually one floating PCT to do blood sugars etc.). This was 6am-6pm.

dak26 · Jan 20, 2006

I work in a hospital oncology unit. I typically have 6-7 pt with 1 cna for the 30 bed floor.

Sean 91 · Jan 25, 2006

Monday night on a med-surg floor at a city hospital in the Heartland there were three nurses for 37 pts, so I got 12, another nurse 12, and the charge took 13--the most she'd ever had, she said. Last night w/ 10 pts was OK but I'm burned out. I'm retracting some of my shift bids I'm so pooped.

Sean 91 · Jan 26, 2006

Here is how a friend, who just retired from nursing and as a professor in nursing, decribed it 30 years ago:

37 patients, three nurses and two aides - a couple of aides, and if the acuity wasn't too bad, and it was the night shift, so that you weren't giving baths and a lot of treatments, then, that's what we used to call team nursing.

In my day it was one nurse, one LPN, and a couple of aides for that many patients. Of course, we didn't have as much paper work in the dark ages, but we didn't have unit dose either; had to set up our own meds, do our own IVs, note orders, and supervise the team. We didn't know any better, I guess. On the night shift, two units were combined with one nurse, an LPN, and a couple of aides.

LeeTendayi · Jan 26, 2006

This sounds like the ward my sister works here up North in the UK the NHS sucks sometimes.

Loril32 · Jan 27, 2006

WOW.....I can't believe some of the outrageously high nurse to patient ratios!!!! I work on a med-surg unit with an average of 5 patients per nurse and usually no more than 6 per nurse (that's with one aide per nurse also). Our hospital has undergone many structural and staffing changes in the past 5 years which has brought our patient ratio down from 8-9 per nurse to 5-6. I feel very lucky after reading some of the other posts tonight. We used to run our floor with 2 charge nurses to help the nurses, check charts and do admissions, but now have one charge nurse, which significantly lowered the nurse to patient ratio. And I know most days I'm very busy with just five patients, depending on the acuity level......ALL the respect in the world to those very overworked nurses expected to give care to too many patients at one time. It can't be very rewarding to not be able to give the amount of care that your patients deserve.

frenchfroggyAPRN, MSN, LPN, RN, APRN · Jan 27, 2006

cardiac/renal 30 bed floor

3 groups of each

1 RN assessments, iv push, call lights, call MD's, talk with family, chart, admits, discharges

1 LPN medications, dressings, call lights

1 PCP baths, trays, call lights

10 patients each group

last shift i worked, I personally discharged 2 patients, admitted 1 and did transfer papers on 1, all on top of taking care of my other patients, luckily i had a good team.

it only works when you have a strong team,

SheriLynnRN · Feb 6, 2006

I work on a surgical unit, at a medium sized community hospital. On an average evening shift 3-11, I have 5 or six pts. Occasionally I will start with only 3 or 4, depending on how far behind the OR schedule got that day. I've had a few days that I had 7 pts. We have 28 beds, and 2-3 CNA's if we are full. They do vitals, call lights, ambulation, I&O's, etc. One day last week there were no CNA's availible so we had an extra nurse and did primary care. I had four pts. Our chanrge nurse doesnt have her own pts, she notes orders, rounds with MD's and makes our doctor calls. Until 2130 the hospital schedules two admit nurses who come up and do the admission health histories on direct and ER admits. Most of our pts are post-op though, so that is done a few days before surgery. Sometimes we will have a "treatment nurse" for four hours. She has a to-do list that we can write things on for her to do, like hanging TPN, starting Iv's or changing dressings. It is a big help. With this set-up, I feel like I can do my job. Not that it NEVER gets overwhelming, but most days it is manageable and I don't have to stay anymore than 20-30 minutes after my shift to chart. I am so glad I found this hospital!

kadokin, ASN, RN · Feb 6, 2006

I work on a surgical unit, at a medium sized community hospital. On an average evening shift 3-11, I have 5 or six pts. Occasionally I will start with only 3 or 4, depending on how far behind the OR schedule got that day. I've had a few days that I had 7 pts. We have 28 beds, and 2-3 CNA's if we are full. They do vitals, call lights, ambulation, I&O's, etc. One day last week there were no CNA's availible so we had an extra nurse and did primary care. I had four pts. Our chanrge nurse doesnt have her own pts, she notes orders, rounds with MD's and makes our doctor calls. Until 2130 the hospital schedules two admit nurses who come up and do the admission health histories on direct and ER admits. Most of our pts are post-op though, so that is done a few days before surgery. Sometimes we will have a "treatment nurse" for four hours. She has a to-do list that we can write things on for her to do, like hanging TPN, starting Iv's or changing dressings. It is a big help. With this set-up, I feel like I can do my job. Not that it NEVER gets overwhelming, but most days it is manageable and I don't have to stay anymore than 20-30 minutes after my shift to chart. I am so glad I found this hospital!

I have never understood this concept of the charge nurse making rounds w/the physicians. Shouldn't it be the primary nurse who does this? After all, she should be the one who has the most recent and relevant info on her patients. This practice seems outdated to me. In my estimation, the charge nurse should be covering the floor for the nurse who is making rounds on her pt assignment. After all, it is the pt's assigned nurse who is ultmately responsible for that pt's care, i.e.-sharing pertinent data w/doc and ensuring orders are carried out. More and more I see the charge nurse position as a haven for those who are lazy and power-hungry. Am I alone in this? :nurse:

loriannlpn · Feb 6, 2006

LTC, 12 hour shifts 6P-6A, 45/55 residents