staff patient ratio

NPvampire, MSN, RN, APRN · Mar 9, 2011

This is probably old, but when I worked adolescent it was based on the number of patients total and then if there were particularly acute patients, they would have more staff those days. There were times we had 16 patients and maybe 4 HST/tech/MHA, 1 RN, and 1 LPN, and there were times when we had 35 patients, 14 MHA, 2 RN, 1 LPN.

Rule of thumb: you do have more staff per patients than adult units, period. Adolescents are fun, hopeful, and malleable, but they are impulsive and sometimes volatile as well.

unreallly · Mar 10, 2011

WHAT! 35 pt's, you get 14 MHA's, 2RN's and 1 LPN!!!

Our unit, we have 34 pt's, 5 MHA's and only 2 RN's!!!

I love your ratio's :clown:

twinkerrs · Mar 11, 2011

I want the staffing grid for 14 mhas. I have 22 kids on my long term unit and during day shift there is 1 rn, 1 mha, and two teachers we are way understaffed.

NPvampire, MSN, RN, APRN · Mar 11, 2011

It's all about the acuity (and how the docs medicate them...but we won't go there). On days when we had that many staff, it was because SEVERAL patients were on 3:1, 2:1 ratio, 1:1, and so on. Yes, some were so severe they had to have 3 staff following them around just for them. Then you have to have male and female, etc etc. Trust me, we weren't standing around idle...too busy trying to protect ourselves from flying chairs, computers, ceiling parts, and broken electronics! And writing it all up to the risk mgt later. These were adolescents, most adults are not as volatile.

I've worked adult places, other facility, where the patients have responsibility and accountability, and it's more like 35 pt to 1 nurse and 2 or 3 MHA. The patients don't pull any nonsense and violence & destruction was rare b/c if they did they went straight to jail with criminal charges on them. I remember one time a nurse got slapped in the face there, by a patient, and quit instantly--that was considered high violence to them!

unreallly · Mar 11, 2011

My last post i forgot to mention, I work in an acute adolescent unit and the pt. to staff ratio's doesnt matter. I can have 34 pt's with 3 1:1's and i still get 5 MHA'a and 2 RN's. :eek:

NYRN08 · Mar 12, 2011

At my current unit dayshift (12hr shifts) it's 1=RN Charge Nurse, 2=Staff RN and 2=CNA's (there not called MHA's because they are not strictly used for Mental Healt) Our CNA's get floated if we are overstaffed, as well as the RN's get floated to another floor too.

Night shift get 1=RN, 1=LPN and 1=CNA

Our patient ratio is anywhere 14 to 18.

At my new job(which I start on Monday) it's 8 hour shifts and it's RN=4, Pysch Techs=5 to 6, (DAY)

(EVENING) is RN=2, LPN=1, Pysch Techs= 4 to 5, (NIGHTS) RN=2, LPN=1, Pysch Techs= 3

Our Pysch Techs do not get floated. Patient ratio is full at all times which hold 40 patients.