Patient load

[latebloomer74, LPN]

What is a typical patient load in a children's hospital (Med/Surg)?

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

It depends on the acuity of the patients you are caring for. It will also vary based on state regulation. The general pediatrics floor in our hospital is 1:5.

[umcRN, BSN, RN]

At my hospital it's 3 or 4 to 1. But it will depend on your location, acuity, nights vs day etc

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

It varies by hospital, floor, acuity, etc. When I worked in the hospital, ratios on my floor were typically 3:1 on days and 4-5:1 on nights. We occasionally had high acuity patients who should have been in the ICU but were admitted to the floor's pretend "step-up" unit because they wanted the patient on the specialty floor. Those patients were meant to be 2:1 at all times but, if staffing didn't allow for it, it didn't happen. I've taken assignments with up to 5 patients when I was supposed to have 2, others have had to go to 6.

[~PedsRN~, BSN, RN]

I am in a Children's Hospital -- and we really like to keep the patient load at 1:4. That's the "ideal".