Nursing Ratio's in Charleston Area?

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I have only been in the area four months and in my current position almost three of those months. I accepted a job offer right away because I wasn't sure how good the job market was in the Charleston area. I am definitely not loving this position I accepted because the ratios are just too high for me to feel comfortable. I work on a tele unit and every shift I expect to have 6 patients with 1-2 cardiac drips. Most nurses have to stay late to chart (sometimes for several hours) because pt care prevents any real-time charting. Is this normal for the area? I moved from a state with a really active nurses union who put an emphasis on lower ratios, so maybe I'm just spoiled. I don't want to apply for other jobs in the area if they will all be this way. Thanks for any help!

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Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

Normal for the area. I'm in Myrtle Beach and for a floor pt that's pretty normal. Sometimes up to 7-8. Step down/ PCU is typically 4:1. ICU is typically 2:1 if staffing is good. However, it's not unheard of to have 5-6 pts in PCU/ step down and 3 in ICU for those short staffing shifts[emoji20]

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Oh man it sounds like I may be spoiled. The last floor position I had was pcu tele and we only had 5 on really busy days. I love bedside nursing, but I'm not sure how long I can keep this up before I decide the stress isn't worth it.

:(

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