Staffing

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What is the nurse to patient ratio at your hospital? Ours is supposed to be 4:1, but it's almost always 5 or 6:1 for post op CABG, valve, LVAD, thoracotomy patients. Feeling overwhelmed :( I feel like I can't give the quality of care I want when I have 5 and 6 patients. They all are critical! I wish there were more nurses in the world!

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Please tell me you aren't talking about fresh post op CABGs and valves. Ours is 2:1, 1:1 for CABG and valve until extubation or if they're unstable. Are you in a CCU/CVICU or a step down unit?

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Specializes in Cardiac.

We're 4:1, with no techs on a progressive unit. No fresh post op CABGs or vented patients though.

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

There are plenty of nurses. Your hospital just doesn't want to pay for decent staffing most likely.

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I'm on a step down unit. But they make us go through the critical care academy and we are supposed to considered an ICU without vents. Everyone has amio/cardizem/heparin/milrinone/dopamine/dobutrex etc etc gtts plus insulin gtts on glucommanders and unstable. POD 1 CABGs. It's just chaotic when you have 5 and 6 of those. I remember years ago the ratio was 3-4:1. Anyway, wishful thinking.

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And we recently started taking LVADs.

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Specializes in cardiac-telemetry, hospice, ICU.

Yikes. Are you titrating those drips? That would be a disaster waiting to happen. My floor has 5 pt with many on drips, but no titration- that is ICU stuff. Still 5 is overwhelming at times.

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Its 3:1 at my hospital and they will go lower is the patient's are heavy. Even sometimes 1:1. Sorry OP.

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