patient to staff ratio in CICU?PCU

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looking for avg staffing ratios for nurses in CICU in a rural hospital setting. This Hospital does vents, heart caths no intrevention these are shipped to bigger hosp. Our CICU and PCU combined will take a max of 13 patients. We have acute MI, Resp., Drug overdose, post-op. the unit is staffe with RN and total of 2 LPN. No CNA. A ws on day shift and sometimes on afternoon shift. Never all night. Tell me what the usual pt to staff ratio would be. Thanks

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Specializes in ER/ICU/Flight.

shouldn't be more than 2:1 depending on the acuity/stability of the patient. anything more than that, and I"ve heard of RNs refusing to take a report until more nurses got there.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
looking for avg staffing ratios for nurses in CICU in a rural hospital setting. This Hospital does vents, heart caths no intrevention these are shipped to bigger hosp. Our CICU and PCU combined will take a max of 13 patients. We have acute MI, Resp., Drug overdose, post-op. the unit is staffe with RN and total of 2 LPN. No CNA. A ws on day shift and sometimes on afternoon shift. Never all night. Tell me what the usual pt to staff ratio would be. Thanks

I work in an IICU in a smaller (I wouldn't quite say rural) hospital. Most vents are sent to ICU, we get heart caths with and without lines, AMI's, Resp, OD's (or UD's), Stroke.... We get CABG's after some of thier lines have been pulled. We have 12 beds and they're always full. Likewise we don't have an aide/tech. We are staffed with 4 RNS. I have seen an LVN on our unit once. We're working with management to get our N:P ratio reduced to 2:1 where it's currently 3:1. It takes everything we have to have a good day, if you're not a team player you won't last on this unit. Safety has not been an issue, but good general pt care has. To us, it's not a matter of just keeping these people alive until they're transferred off our unit.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry/PCU, SNF.

We're considered a PCU with 46 beds. Usual staffing is 4:1 at NOC and 3;1 on days. Most of the time it is a mix of medical patients in need of tele monitoring (history of a-fib, pneumonia, etc.) and cardiac folks: post-CABG, off vents and pressors but with chest tubes, pacer wires w/temp. pacers etc., post-angio intervention/diagnostic w/without sheaths r/o MIs, post-MIs, CHF and the list goes on. We take some drips and even titrate some.

Staffing-wise it usually 13 at night with 2 aides (works out to above, usually). For some time we were running 5:1 at nights and at some times that is not too bad. We're splitting soon and opening a ture step-down unit where we'll be 3:1 at all times.

Hope this helps.

Tom

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Specializes in ICU, ER, EP,.

let me see If I understand... no swans IABP... but vents and vasoactive drips? There is more to know... how often do you take rule out MI's? Do you keep 2 or 3 patients ready for stepdown but there are no beds? Do you take all the hospital codes?

it seems you'd need a nurse staff of 5, 3RN's 2 lpn's and be able to flex on high acuity days to 6 nurses preferably 4RN's, 2 lpn... Some of these seems easy to tripple, as I've had 3 stable vents... 4 vents in a PCU setting... long term.. low dose dopa and dobut... maybe some cardizem. But you have an interesting mix creating assignments;) I would not ever work less than 5... unless I'm not understanding your patient population and assuming a higher acuity.

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