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Discussion

May I ask for homework help?

It is a staffing problem and it is a school assignment.

I figure that mangers will know how to work this out. I am in a leadership class online and the instructor has not responded to emails or phone calls. A classmate and I have different answers and we don't know which is correct (if either).

Activity 1:

The Situation

In the unit where you are planning the budget, it has been determined that patients need 4 hours of RN nursing care hours per day (NHPD), 2 hours of LPN nursing care/day and 6 hours of unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) care/day. This information is based on data from last year, and assumes no change in patient census or acuity for the upcoming year. The average daily census is 32 patients.

The Staffing Plan

Instructions

  1. Using the information from the Situation above, determine the nursing care hours (NCHs) for each category of staff per pay period and enter it into the middle column in the table below.
    Number of RNs: _________
    Number of LPNs: _________
    Number of UAPs: __________
  2. Using the figures above, determine how many FTEs in each category of staff will be needed to staff this unit per pay period and enter it into the table.
  3. How might the number of nursing care hours needed in each category of care in the staffing pattern have been determined? [TABLE=width: 533]
    [TR]
    [TH]Category of Staff[/TH]
    [TH]Nursing Care Hours
    per Pay Period[/TH]
    [TH]Number of FTEs Required
    in Each Category[/TH]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD] RNs[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD] LPNs[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD] UAPs[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD] Total nursing staff[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [/TABLE]

I worked it out like this: RN 4 x 32 = 128 hrs/ day x 14 days = 1792hrs/ pay period

1792/ 80 hrs = 22.4 FTEs I'm not sure exactly how my classmate calculated it but she came out with 16 FTEs. Everything I have looked up online takes a lot more into the calculation such as productive and nonproductive hours. Our problem is simplified.

I really appreciate anyone that can explain this for me.

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    • Featured Replies

    I believe you are correct.

    I think your friend calculated this way, but it only takes into account the number of nurses for a single day, not FTEs over a full pay period:

    4 hrs. of RN care x 32 patients = 128 hrs. RN care in one 24 hour day

    128 hrs. RN care needed /8 hours per RN shift = 16 nurses to cover one 24 hour day

    Since not all nurses work 8 hour shifts, nor do all employees work every day, this isn't a final answer.

    Your friend needs to continue her calculations to determine how many 8 hour shifts a FTE works in a pay period, and how many are needed for 24/7 coverage. If she completes those calculations, I believe you will both come to the same answer, which is that it takes at least 23 RNs to consistently staff a unit with 16 RNs around the clock. (In reality, it takes more because no one wants to work 2 weekends out of 3. That's why a mix of FT and PT is desirable.)

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    • Author

    Jolie, thanks for your explanation. I appreciate your help!

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