staffing a freestanding endoscopy unit

[givikki]

We are expanding our ambulatory surgery center to include a separate GI wing instead of incorporating it into the surgical areas as we do now. It will have 3 outfitted procedure rooms with the potential for 3 additional rooms.We plan to start with 30-45 cases per day. The patient will be admitted to a room that will serve as their pre and post procedure room. There will be 11 of these. We won't be doing ERCP, motility or pH studies. We will be doing colonoscopy, EGD with therapeutic intervention. We will do paracentesis rarely. Our state allows an RN and a tech in the room for procedures. We currently had 2 RN's because we were following AORN guidelines. We will be switching to SGNA in this area. We are a for profit facility. We use conscious sedation for procedures. Any input on safe yet cost efficient staffing? Pre/Post areas are what I'm having some difficulty with. Anyone using PCA's or associates in these areas? How many RN's to patient ratio?

[elliej]

Well I'm not a nurse but I am however an endoscopy tech. Hope ya don't mind the intrusion. I work at a free standing endoscopy unit and we have 1 doc and he does his cases with propofol given by an anesthesiologist. There is the doc, the anesthesiologist and a tech in the room. The RN works the preop and recovery area, with the other tech. He does about 15 cases a day.