nurse to patient ratio

KSEFLINK · Apr 4, 2002

Exciting news in California-state mandated staffing levels. We are already at 1:6 on tele and med-surg and will probably be going to 1:5. Now if we could just get nurses!!I think staffing levels are great but where should we find all of these qualified staff. Even with the new grads, it won' be enough. But at least relief is in sight

kewlnurse · Apr 4, 2002

I'm in a ccu now so i only get 2 or 3 patients, when i was on the floor it was usually 8-10 on 3-11 o10-16 on nights. I will never go back to floor nursing.

LMU121 · Jun 10, 2002

I am so sick and tired of everything for recruitment and nothing for retention. This practice causes a rift between new and old nurses. I am working in the same hospital 13 years and new nurses are starting with a salary close to mine. This is unacceptable.

Brownms46 · Jun 10, 2002

Where I was just at...there was 1:5-7 on days, evening..and up to eight or 10 as I have been told on nites...and this is tele! And sometmes no CNA, we did all the AM labs..which usually means everyone!

Charge Nurse had less than a full load....but that was no real problem...as the LVN did their own IVPs, IV starts, Labs.. chart checks, calling MD, ..etc..etc. The Charge nurse did do the assessment on new admits only.....but usually just signed off on the LVNs assessment.

In Washington...they used LPNs in some hospitals with RNs as partners. Which I liked and didn't like...depending on who the RN was. Rarely would we be assigned more than 7 pts..together...and never more than 4 to the RN without a partner.

But I getting my CA license now...and hopefully by October I will be in there....as they're having lots of contracts open up. Maybe in part d/t the new staffing ratios..:)

Chiron · Jun 12, 2002

I work on a med/surg/chemo/telemetry unit, the dayshift ratio is usually 1: 6-8 but night shift can be worse 1:8-11, the facility has set staffing policies and when the nurse to patient ration is higher than the stated policy the nurses have been writing signed statements that the ratio is unsafe ( in case of liability) and that supervisors had been notified and did not provide additional staffing.

RNforLongTime · Jun 17, 2002

An update on how the LPN's have been working out. The LPN's they hired are great for the most part. There are a few that are questionable but then there are RN's that are the same way. They have their own pt assignment, they can call the doctors and do their own 24 hour chart checks. They all have taken the IV therapy course for LPN's but until they get their card in the mail from the State Board of Nursing, they cannot do anything with IV's except monitor them. Which means that they aren't allowed to start IV's, flush IV's with NSS, hang a IVPB or a fresh IV bag. When they do get their card, they'll be allowed to start IV's, hang IVF's except blood, ppn or TPN. They can hang IVF's with meds added provided that the infusion was initiated by an RN. They cannot give meds IV Push except to flush with NSS. So, the RN's have had to do this for them. Which hasn't been a problem, yet.

Only problem is that the hosptial has been downstaffing RN's their hours that they were hired to work in order to allow LPN's to work additional hours and OT! We are unionized(the RN'S) and grievances have been filed. Our union filed a class action lawsuit against the hospital regarding this practice. The LPN's arent a part of the union. No one has taken this out on the LPN's. At least I haven't heard of any instances. In fact a lot of the LPN's that are working in our hospital are going to school for their RN.

wsu.rn · Jun 21, 2002

a am a new grad RN 4 months into med/surg working at a small hospital. On days R.N's would have 4 pt's and cover an LPN who had 6. I worked evenings and had anywhere from 4-5 if convering LPN's most 6 not covering. As for nights 6-7 most. If covering LPN the RN would have less. On evenings there was 1 aid.

neuroRN, RN · Jun 21, 2002

I work on a Neuro/Tele Unit and the ratio is 1:5 on days and 1:6 on nights. The charge nurse takes 3 on days and 4 on nights. Sometimes we have one extra due to staffing, but usually it stays fairly balanced.

Neonatal WannaB · Jun 24, 2002

I am a GN and I work at a Sub-acute/Long term care facility. I know that this different from the hospital but our ratio is still somewhat out of control. Sub-Acute has 50 beds and Mid-nights usually work with two nurse and have 25 pt a piece. Even though it's midnight's it's still ridiculous. Pts could code at any time. On days it's 1:13 or eve's it's the same thing but sometimes it's 1:20-25 depending on the census. Nurses' have to pass all the meds not to mention the thousands of treatments they have to do. Michigan needs to follow California's footsteps in legalizing the Nurse/Pt ratio.

lv2ski · Jul 16, 2002

Hello everyone, these numbers/ratios are horrendous! I will never again take responsibility for 10-11 patients. I left a rural hospital where that happened frequently, with tele, pedis, you name it. Now I am at a larger hospital where ratios are pretty good, acceptable. There are 3 med-surg type units with specialties so we float amongst them when needed. We usually have 6-8 patients at night. I have never had more than 8. Mostly ortho-neuro surgeries, gyn, resp, lotsa trauma. 7-8 will keep you running enough. We have 1 cna, 0 night secretary. 3-5 RNs scheduled depending on census. If it gets worse, I will leave.

Best of luck to all of you, and don't put your license and patients at risk by taking on more than you can handle.... :rolleyes:

terrina · Aug 8, 2002

RN's where I work have 1:4 ratio on days and pm's, 1:6-7 with a CNA, 1:4 with LPN who has 4 of her own and RN covering. This is Midwest. I worked Southeast last year where ratio was 1:4 for each RN and unit of 24 beds shared 1 CNA (no LPN's). These ratios still kept me hopping and feeling overwhelmed most of time because of acuity.

LadieRn · Aug 8, 2002

I work on a med-surg floor. We nurses RN/LPN work 12h shifts and the CNA's work 8h shifts. On days the nurse/patient ratio

is 1:6-7 and on nights 1:7-8. We only have a charge nurse on

days and she may or maynot have patients depends on acuity.