Low census

[mstoltenberg]

I work in Indianapolis, and our hospital has had a low census for an abnormally long period (since mid-Februrary). Nurses are being cancelled and using up all their PTO hours. Is this occurring in other places? Is now a good time to get my masters, or are they going to be obsolete in a few years due to this reform? Thanks!

[melmarie23, MSN, RN]

Working in OB - it is always feast of famine. :)

Yup!!!

[DizzyLizzyNurse]

Here in western NY, we've been having a pretty low census! One of the floors was closed down for a few weeks. We are union and can't be forced to use our PTO though and people have been pretty much taking turns.

[ParvulusPuella]

My hospital has been near close to full capacity for the past few months now...everyone must be coming here.

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

I am in the deep south, Florida and Alabama; our census has been extremely low. Feast or famine, it seems.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Indianapolis here - census has sucked for three or four months now. Fortunately, I have second job and can pick up hours whenever I need to. Thank goodness.

[bamaguy1989]

I work in Georgia and it has started to get slower. It really depends though. The last time I worked we had like 18 patients on our floor and we have like 33 beds. We are still getting pneumonia patients though and its June!

[Palliative Care, DNP]

Wouldn't mind a little slowing here. All 32 beds on my floor have been staying full!

[dandk1997RN, MSN, RN]

I work a cardiac floor in eastern NY- we've been a little more than half full the last two weeks most nights. We're usually so full we have people waiting for beds. Every nurse on nights has been called off in the last two weeks.

[Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN]

And the folks that get that shifts then complain about the low staffing and the increased work load on the present.