Number of patients you care for?

[winter_green]

Being an RN in CA, we are fortunate we have nurse-patient ratios. I wonder how other RNs in other states handle their patient load, and what number patients they have to care for? Any one care to share what unit you work for and the average number of patients you are assigned to care for a shift??

[LiberatedRN]

I work in Cardiac Telemetry in South Florida. We get 1:5 or 1:6 on day shift and 1:6 or 1:7 max on nights. I work days and 1:5 on some days is way too much for heart failure patients with average age of 75!

[MJB2010]

In GA, I worked at an awesome hospital, used to be 1:5 in PCU, 1:6 in M/S, w/float to the ER 1:5 (I really loved that ER!).

Now in FL, I cover PCU 1:5 (1:4 if acuity is higher and patients on drips), M/S 1:6 (1:7 if shortstaffed) I had 1:8 on M/S ID last year, but that was due to sick nurse, no shows, bad start to the shift. It worked out, but very, very busy.

What hospital was that? I left med surg in GA because our patient ratio was normally 8-10 patients and I could not keep up.

[BunnySan27]

I work at LTAC 1:7 on night shift sometimes 1:6.....rarely.

[FootballGirl]

I'm in MN and work on a busy med/surg floor on the evening shift! we care for 4 patients each unless someone has a 3:1 assignment (for example, if someone gets an insulin drip then that person will only have 3 pts due to higher acuity and time in room). On the night shift I believe they get 5 to 6 patients max. The day shift is same as eves, 4:1. :)

[55nt29x]

I agree with the fact that it depends on the hospital. I worked on a General Surgery unit at a facility in CO that had a ratio of 4:1 on days, and 5:1 on nights. Although the ratios were great, we did get VERY high acuity patients, some of which definitely should have been on a step down unit.