Apr 26, 201115 yr Are there units that still have one to one nurse/patient ratios, or have they long gone to the wayside? More Like This Long Term Acute Care Safe Patient-Nurse Ratio 8 Replies Active 02/15/2026 08:48 PM General Students nursing 2 Replies Active 05/25/2026 02:36 AM
Apr 26, 201115 yr You'll find them occassionally for very critical patients in the ICU. There are also 1:1's for patients that are safety risks, but the 1:1 isn't usually an RN. ICUs are really the only place you'll find 1:1 ratios.The typical ratio for ICU is 1:2 or 1:3.
Apr 26, 201115 yr All of our fresh CABG's , IABP and CRRT patient's are 1:1 regardless. Other than that both of the units I work in ICU and CVICU our ratio is 2:1
Apr 26, 201115 yr Critical care is 1:1. Imagine constant monitoring for 2 to 4 patients. And you get a code blue. Or worse, 2 patients have cardiac/pulmonary arrest at the same time.
Apr 26, 201115 yr Critical care is 1:1. Imagine constant monitoring for 2 to 4 patients. And you get a code blue. Or worse, 2 patients have cardiac/pulmonary arrest at the same time.I have worked critical care for 5 years, and the only time we have 1:1s is fresh CABG, CRRT or a very sick patient on multiple pressors. You can work on any unit and have 2 patients arrest at the same time.
Apr 26, 201115 yr Critical care is 1:1. Imagine constant monitoring for 2 to 4 patients. And you get a code blue. Or worse, 2 patients have cardiac/pulmonary arrest at the same time.The ICU I worked in was 1:2 or 3. We had 1:1 ratio on balloon pump patients. Which were very rare.I did have a coworker whos 2 patients were coding at the same time. The one night hospitalist stood between the 2 of them to run the codes. They both died, she bagged her bodies and went home....
Apr 26, 201115 yr The ICU I worked in was 1:2 or 3. We had 1:1 ratio on balloon pump patients. Which were very rare.I did have a coworker whos 2 patients were coding at the same time. The one night hospitalist stood between the 2 of them to run the codes. They both died, she bagged her bodies and went home....Oh my gracious this is so awful! No wonder nurses burn out so quickly....
Apr 26, 201115 yr Our vents/ICU patients are 1:1..... only ever 2:1 if they're right beside eachother (within eyeshot) and stable. But typically 1:1.
Apr 26, 201115 yr OR is 1:1, as is cath lab, and GI lab.Preop in my friend's stand alone GI lab is 1:1.
Apr 26, 201115 yr It's 1:2 where I'm at. I had a night recently where both of my patients crashed at the *exact* same time. A rarity, and I wouldn't have made it through the night without my coworkers, who are completely stellar. Rarely do we have 1:1 patients but it does happen for those that are very critical.
Apr 26, 201115 yr Are there units that still have one to one nurse/patient ratios, or have they long gone to the wayside?my niece was just in a cardiac NICU and she had her own nurse
Apr 26, 201115 yr My PICU is usually a 1:2 ratio unless a child is extremely unstable or just won't sedate well and is a risk of self extubating. Once we had a child who actually required two nurses initially with an open belly, numerous chest tubes, vented, maxed out on 3 pressors. Coded over 5 times, stroked, and that girl is alive (neurologically intact and rehabing beautifully) today! :0)
Are there units that still have one to one nurse/patient ratios, or have they long gone to the wayside?