Patient ratios.

RNCEN · Aug 23, 2013

What??? That's bananas. Maybe in a fast track/minor acute setting, but not in an acute environment...that's just unsafe, IMO. In our acute areas we are 4:1 max, usually 3:1 and a hall space.

Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · Aug 23, 2013

At my former workplace, a Level 2 Trauma Center, it depended on the acuity of the patient. All Acuity 1s were one on one (technically; in real practice, your other patients were still yours, the other nurses would just cover until you were done with your one on one, then you'd take your others back over). Other than that, you could have 3-5 patients depending on the mix of acuities. For instance, in the Fast Track area, where 4s and 5s go, you could have up to 6 (because there were six rooms in that zone). In the main ED, you could have one 2 and three 3s, or two 2s, or four 3s. But typically, the ratio was 3-4:1.

Of course, the triage nurse was responsible for everyone waiting in the lobby, which could be anywhere from 0 to 30 at any given time.

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Aug 24, 2013

Just started working in ER and have found out that their staffing ratio is 9:1! Is this the norm? Thank you in advance for your advice.

Oh hell no. I would be running. My facility staffs similar to Stargazer's, 1:4-5 MAX, and less if you have a critical pt. There is no way I would take 9 pts

smoup · Aug 24, 2013

Again, not a nurse, just work in the the ER but it's similar to what was said above. Normally it's 3:1, 4:1 if we're short. I don't know if anyone has every had 5 patient at a time. We would have been really short and the patients' acuity would have been stable 3's. In Fast track, there is normally 2 nurses and there are 9 rooms. Before it closes and there is only 1 nurse, you could theoretically have 9 patients, more if it's a family MVC or something like that.