nurse-patient ratio

just1nurse · May 3, 2001

I work on a cardio-pulmonary rehab unit, mainly ventilator patients. We usually have a 1:4-7 ratio, although it doesn't sound like a lot is really is. We have NO patient care technicians. This is a primary care floor. So immediately after vitals and the 8 am med pass, you are scrambling to wash patients, do trach care, and get them in wheelchairs for their PT and OT. I am seriously thinking about leaving the facility I work for, the accuity of the patients is greatly increasing but the staffing stays the same. This CAN'T be as good as it gets.

RNforLongTime · Jun 25, 2001

I work on a 30 bed medical telemetry/respiratory unit and our nurse:patient ratio is 1:6 on days and evenings and 1:8 on nights. Very rarely a nurse may have to take 7 patients and if we have a patient on a vent the ratio for the nurse caring for the vent patient is 1:4 on days and evenings and 1:6 on nights. We are also staffed with 2 nursing assistants--3 NA's if there are 27+patients, a monitor clerk for the telemetry(our floor monitors tele for the entire house excluding ICU). We only have 24 tele boxes though. This is much MUCH better staffing than at the hospital where I used to work. I sometimes had 8 patients on day shift one one NA on days-if there was one scheduled and then she only did so many bed baths usually two for each RN and then the RN had to do the rest of them on her assignment. When I worked evening shift--it didn't matter how many patients were on the floor--we Rarely ever had a NA and if we did we were only allowed to keep her for 4 hours till 7pm. That was at the old hospital I worked at. I work evening shift at my current job and I love it so much better. I think that any more than 6 patients on days and evenings shift is dangerous.

Just my 0.02 cents

Kelly:)

lv2ski · Jul 9, 2001

I started working at a larger New England hospital where the staffing is ok. It is alot of ortho-neuro surgical and general m/s, trauma. We have 4-5 on days, 5-6 eves, and 6-8 nights. All RN's and cna's. Better than the small community hospital I left where they had bare boned staffing. Plus there are more resources in a larger facility:cool:

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Jul 9, 2001

We have 1:3-4 on days, and 1:5-6 on nights. It's a small community hospital so acuity is relatively low, and Rn's and LPN's get assigned patients doing total care. We have a charge nurse M-F 7-3, and a secretary every day 7am-11pm.

Anyone want a job? Just email me.

nursenightmare · Jul 12, 2001

Our unit has really bizzare staffing ratios. Each nurse gets 5 patients. You assign two to a tech who does all the "tech" work for the patien. The other three are all yours. That means in addition to doing the nursing duties for the 5, you are also bathing, changing linens, feeding (if needed), walking, answering their call lights, it goes on and on. Every day is a busy day!

Kate

frann · Aug 5, 2001

work on a 32 bed telemetry/ventilater/neuro/resp floor.

on days they usually have 6 -7nurseswith 2-3 aids.

eve's 6-7 with 0-2 aids.

nights 4-5 with 1 aid.

I feel I can't keep up. There really isn't any charge nurse here anymore. Day's sometimes have them but they have about 4 pts. I've only been a nurse 10 years. Our acuity is so high.We have 1 rehab vent on the floor right now.

I dont know how much longer I can take this. It gets worse every year. Managment keeps putting non nursing jobs on us like staffing. If we are big point we have to call allthe other units to make sure that everyone is staffed fairly. If someone calls out, we must neglect our patients making calls trying to get people in.

Brenda Braun · Aug 18, 2001

WOW! the variety is amazing! I have read quite a bit of articles that show that RN patient ratios directly affect morbidity/ mortality/length of stay, etc. They also have a direct impact on job satisfaction. In this day and age with the high acuity of patients, more RN staffing is key. Too bad the financial people don't see it that way. They see RNs as a big chunk of the budget they want to cut. GOOD LUCK and GOD BLESS all the med-surg nurses who are working so hard to improve they quality of care!

deespoohbear · Aug 31, 2001

At the small hospital I work at, it is not unusual for days to have 7 or 8 patients, eves usually the same ratio. Nights can have up to 12 patients, even though management thinks they should be able to take 14. We have CNA's to do the baths and feeding and such, but sometimes they cop such an attitude it is easier to do it yourself. Our Med/Surg floor has 32 beds which includes peds and tele. We do not have an IV team or an ostomy nurse. After 7 pm, the pharmacy is closed so we usually end up mixing our own IV's at that point. The stress level can get pretty bad. I really love it when some OB nurse on the next floor proceeds to tell me how busy they are with a total of 4 patients (two Moms, two Babes)!! I would love to have 4 patients!! Actually, they only have 2 patients a piece because one nurse does Moms and one does Babes.

RNPAULIE · Sep 6, 2001

i work on a forty-six bed renal vascular floor with med/surg and overflow surgical patients. we have team nursing, a charge nurse and med nurse and the floor nurses can have anywhere from 1:4-8 on days, 512 on evenings and up to 14 on nights with sometimes three aides on days, most times one, one to two on evenings(some 3-11s they have no med nurse--nights never does)and 11-7 once in a while has an aide. the acuity is high and very rarely taken into consideration. we have a shortage of nurses right now, surprise surprise!!! so the ratios are down a bit because the census is being kept down.

shannonRN, BSN, RN · Oct 2, 2001

i work on a 33 bed med-surg floor. our staffing is supposed to be 1:4 days, 1:5 evenings, and 1:6 midnights. the number of aides per shift varies. days has 1 or 2, evenings 1, and midnights 0. lately if has been a lot higher. i had 9 on midnights this past week and 7 on evenings just tonight...but seeing some of the staffing levels that have been posted, i can't complain!!!

ALOHANURSE · Nov 3, 2001

I work in a fairly small hospital. My unit only being 17 beds. Although our staffing ratio sounds good, 1:4-5 days /1:5-6 eve./ and 1:7-8 on nights, we often have no CNA or unit secretary and we are trying to do EVERYTHING! Even with all 17 beds filled there is only one aid so we can't count on her for much. I would rather care for 6 pts. on days and have all the support staff in place. I feel stretched so thin when I'm trying to keep up with the phones, orders, doing all my own vitals and baths and oh yeah, trying pass meds, hang blood, administer chemo, pacify doctors, and chart, you know, all that other stuff. On the weekends we also must cover the LPN's and assume all charge duties. Our staffing is pretty good about considering our request for additional help, if they have any to give us. HELP! We are in a nursing shortage here. Yuk, that sounds really whiney. Anyway Hawaii is a great place to live!!!! Come join us.:)

ljdrn · Nov 18, 2001

New at AMC, I have an identical twin sister and we are both RN's. We graduated from Clinton Community College in Palttsburgh New York and reciceved our Associates of nursing with honors. Passed the NYS Boards with 75 questions and have been working evenings 3-11 pm on a busy surgical floor in saranac Lake ny for 5 months fresh out of college. We are taking patient assignments of 1/10 with an aide, or up to 1/7 primary. I love nursing, but it is so much and I haven't had more than one night where I have had a dinner let alone a 15 minute break!!!! Please write to me at [email protected] if you can relate!!!