Nursing Survey: How is Your Hospital Staffed, and Do You Feel it is Safe?

Unsafe nurse staffing is a problem occurring across the United States. This is not a new issue but one that has been going on for years and is causing unsafe environments for patients and nurses. What are you experiencing in your hospital? We want to know? Please complete this short survey. Nurses Announcements Archive

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Unsafe nurse staffing is a problem that occurs in hospitals across the United States. Decades of research shows that when nurses have too many patients, outcomes are worse and mortality is higher.[1]

Some states have staffing legislation in place requiring hospitals to staff their units according to a staffing plan developed by a committee made up of at least 50% direct care staff nurses. States with this legislation include Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Connecticut. Other states have regulations that address nurse staffing in some other manner; these include California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New York. Many states have no legislation or guidelines on nurse staffing.[2]

Some hospitals use staffing committees or acuity systems. Others use nurse-to-patient ratios for different units, with limits on the number of patients any nurse can have. Some hospitals use a combination of staffing methods. You can help us find out what type, if any, of staffing methods or plans exist in the nation's hospitals. As to date there is no research that shows the effectiveness or compliance of staffing by acuity plans in hospitals. Despite that factor, professional organizations only recommend this approach to staffing.

We are doing a survey of nurses to determine what bedside nurses are experiencing in their hospitals and to see whether nurses feel that staffing is safe where they work. Please help us by completing this short survey to help us collect data that will help indicate compliance, effectiveness and safeness of the working conditions that you the bedside nurse experience.

SURVEY LINK: If you are a direct care staff nurse who holds an active RN license, work in the U.S. and wish to participate in the survey, click the following link to help determine How is your staffing determined and do you feel it is safe?

Participate In Our Survey

Please share your stories in the comments below as we look forward to hearing what you the working bedside nurse have to say.

References

1. Curtin LL. A conversation about the ethics of staffing. 2016;11. Accessed August 29, 2018.

2. Buppert C. What's being done about nurse staffing? Accessed August 29, 2018.

Even though I am an RN, I couldn't participate survey because my line of work, physical rehabilitation, isn't a category.

If you think all rehab patients are stable, and therefore "easy," think again.

My patient load is 8-9 patients.

That is too much.

I started my shift Thursday night with 8 patients, and ended with ten!!!!

That isn't a safe ratio for anyone.

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Specializes in L&D/HIV/ID/OB/GYN Primary Care Adults/Children.

Are you in an LTACH? I'm sorry. We know staffing there is quite difficult. And legislation is not looking at LTC or LTACH. It's not comparable to acute staffing. However, we hope that nurses in those facilities rise up, organize to start that process. it's difficult to conduct research with many variables. We are looking at those states that specifically have acuity based laws, those that don't and those who have ratio law. It's a survey much needed. Thanks for asking and stay strong.

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Are you in an LTACH? I'm sorry. We know staffing there is quite difficult. And legislation is not looking at LTC or LTACH. It's not comparable to acute staffing. However, we hope that nurses in those facilities rise up, organize to start that process. it's difficult to conduct research with many variables. We are looking at those states that specifically have acuity based laws, those that don't and those who have ratio law. It's a survey much needed. Thanks for asking and stay strong.

No, I don't work at an LTACH.

I work on a general reab unit.

Most patients are there for hip fractures, knee replacements and leg amputations.

There are a mix of other aliments as well.

Not all of these patients are stable.

I've worked acute care, and these patients are close to acute care level.

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Specializes in L&D/HIV/ID/OB/GYN Primary Care Adults/Children.

Would you feel then that the MED-Surg option is close to what you do?

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Would you feel then that the MED-Surg option is close to what you do?

It is close, but still not accurate.

I understand the parameters of survey.

But with this kind of issue, I don't feel any type of nursing should be left out, and encouraged to simply "rise up" on their own.

United we stand, divided we fall.

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We worked on perfecting this survey for almost 3 years and we learned a lot. In order for the data to be valued and able to be used as research the questions had to mirror the current staffing bills being used in a handful of states currently. It is nothing personal, it doesn't mean we don't feel LVNs are of value. That isn't it at all! We had to word the questions to mirror the staffing bill(s)

I am an LPN and would have liked to take this survey. Why is it only limited to RN's?
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We aren't trying to leave anyone out. You say you understand the parameters of the survey however I want to share with you the questions on the survey had to mirror the current bills in use in the US. The areas of nursing listed in the survey are the areas covered in the staffing bills. We can't waver from these key indicators or it will make all the data invalid.

To clarify, we aren't the ones leaving our any care areas. The current owners of the staffing bills in use are the ones who have left our care areas and levels of care. Healthcare overall is a mess. A disaster. We cannot create new bills without disproving the effectiveness of the current ones in use. It is just how the system works. Again, messed up but we have to go through the steps to get to the change we need. We are a nation of nurses fighting for nurses!

It is close, but still not accurate.

I understand the parameters of survey.

But with this kind of issue, I don't feel any type of nursing should be left out, and encouraged to simply "rise up" on their own.

United we stand, divided we fall.

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