Surgical Nursing in OZ

talaxandra · Mar 24, 2011

Things are quite different at my hospital. For a start, it's in Victoria, so there's a 1:4 ratio (plus in charge on the AM + PM shifts). We've got an 8/8/10 roster, with shifts running 0700 - 1530, 1300 - 2130 and 2100 - 0730. This means there's a substantial shift overlap, which is used for a variety of things, including education and, of course, handover.

On my ward we have area-only handover, while some other wards have whole ward handover; to the best of my knowledge there's no taped handover where I work. The resource staff, of course, hand the whole ward over to the incoming resource.

K+MgSO4, BSN · Mar 25, 2011

as you can see it is dependent on the NUMs preference! In the public sector it 1:4 on an AM & PM with an additional incharge overnight it is 1:7 with the incharge taking a pt load as well. I worked agency in NSW & it varied depending on the ward & if it was public or private. VIC is the only state so far with mandated ratios for the public sector acute setting. however it has meant that we have lost out AINs as the cost of more nurses means that they cannot pay AINs as well. So the RN does everything washes, beds etc Physio & OT see the pt but we have to walk them in the afternoon.

talaxandra · Mar 25, 2011

It's true there are no assistants, but my hospital never had them anyway, so it's not been a big loss :)

Although the official acute ration on nights is 1:8 that's the minimum safe staffing level - we've got 5:32 overnight and some wards at my hospital have 1:6 overnight. As K+MgSO4 says, there's a lot of discretion at play, but those maximum ratios are non-negotiable!