silly question...please be kind :-)

[trauma_lama, BSN]

Hello awesome nurses. I am a zygote nurse (i.e. younger than a baby nurse, i.e. student nurse, haha!) and I have been wondering what the heck census means when I read some of the threads on here...I get the impression that it refers to nurse to pt ratio? Like low ratio means not very many pts/nurse. Am I anywhere near on the mark? I start my clinicals this fall and I want to know as much as I can going in to the program. Thanks so much!! :heartbeat

[morningmom]

Census is the number of patients. :)

[BluegrassRN]

Census simply refers to the number of pts. For example, my floor census averages 21 pts. This summer we have had a low census, meaning our average number of pts has been closer to 15. Since we are staffed/budgeted for an average of 21, some nurses have been called off for low census.

[AmericanRN]

Excellent question and glad you asked. The other nurses already answered the census question. You and your class will also be affected by a low census. If the census drops hospital wide the hospitals will send clinical groups home, then start sending their nurses home since there would be no unit to float to.

There can only be so many types of students on a floor at a time per licensed discipline eg: nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists, etc. So there are nurse : pt ratios, student nurse: licensed nurse ratios, student nurses: per clinical instructor, medical student: doctor ratios. In my state no more then 12 nursing students can be assigned to a single instructor for a clinical group. If the group exceeds 12 d/t rotation placement then the schools will sent 2 instructors to teach the one clinical group.

[trauma_lama, BSN]

thank you SO much y'all. :yelclap: i learn so much on AN!