Nurse to Patient Ratio

sassynurse78 · Feb 3, 2005

We usually have 1:42, some days better like 1:30 if we have an extra nurse which is kind of rare though.

Mandylpn · Feb 7, 2005

I am a new grad also. I interviewed at two places (LTC) and the ratio was 1:30, the place I accepted a position at is a 40-bed with three nurses on days and pm's, plus the CNA's. That i can work with. :nurse:

nurseangel78 · Feb 7, 2005

I am also a new nurse. I work at a LTC facility and right now we have 30 patients, but can have up to 40 I think. I am the only nurse but I have 3 CNAs that work with me. I was really scared at first, the thought of that many patients. But, it is not as bad as you think. Congradulations and Good Luck!!

javanurse2000, BSN, RN · Feb 8, 2005

What shift? Big difference between trying this on 7-3 or 3-11 or even 11-7. Let us know. Best wishes!

ayla1953 · Feb 10, 2005

Dear Debbie...

38 is way too many!!!! 25 is nice, glad for your mom. But 38 is way too high a number for you to take care of effectively. Unless you are on the midnight shift, than that is a little better, in fact, it's probably good, for midnites. I've worked in Mi, Az, and now Fl and I left a place down in the Keys that wanted to give me 40 residents on the day shift. And I've been an LPN in the nursing home world for 20 yrs now, and 38 is too manyl The absolute most you should have is 30, which is nothing good, believe me, but it's realistice. That's on the day shift. Afternoons is no picnic, either, since you traditionally have two med passes as well, on pm's as you do on am's. So, in my very humble opinion, 30 on days or pm shift is not out of line. But not 38. It doesn't sound like a huge difference, but believe me, it is. You will run screaming from your profession in horror if you continue to have that high a pt-to-nurse ratio. And what's this "50" pts. crap? 50 on which shift? Remind me not to practice in Ohio. It's no wonder we were starting to see an influx of nurse's coming to us in the Detroit and lower southeast MI. area from places like Toledo.

LPN1974, LPN · Feb 11, 2005

I work evenings, and we have less nurses on my shift than they do on days, and our evening ratio is somewhere around 60 to 65 when we are working with just 2 nurses, some days we have 3 nurses, so it varies. Our census has changed, and I'm not sure what it is right now, but I'm going to check that out next week.

I work in MR/DDS, so it's a bit different than a nursing home...not as acute care.

However, it is still a heavy load to give meds to all these people.

I feel 38 in LTC is a very heavy load.

I hope that you also have a treatment nurse. As a med nurse you will be busy all day, with meds, doctor calls, rounds, family and so forth.

Good luck. Keep us posted how you find it to be working.

One more thing....I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually put more on you than 38.

That happened to me in a nursing home that I was working in part time as a second job. It just kept rising........we had empty beds and corporate office was pushing to get them filled which they did, and that increased the load.

I had to quit that job. Couldn't handle it.

jerseynurse04 · Feb 14, 2005

And what's this "50" pts. crap? 50 on which shift?

Well, greetings from a third shifter! The census on my floor is currently 51 and I'm the only LPN on the floor during 3rd shift! We are lucky if we have 3 CNA's working with us! We are a facility with a 120 bed capacity, during 3rd shift we have 2 LPN's, An RN supervisor which floats between floors and anywhere from 4-6 Aides in the whole building! Yes, 'crap' is a good word for the situation! Even though it is 3rd shift, it is still WAY too many patients!