surgical step-down unit staffing ratios??

Specialties Med-Surg

Published

i'm looking for feedback on staffing rn ratios for surgical step-down units. we currently have 3:1 without pt care techs and we "borrow" a secretary from our meg-surg "sister" unit to help enter new orders but sometimes we are on our own without any additional help. we order and stock our own supplies as well as tidy up and clean common areas. our pt's have cardiac monitoring with drains/tubes and pain relief of several varieties and require bathing and ambulation. administration is trying to increase the ratio to 4:1, what is the general consensus about this arrangement?

Specializes in Operating Room.

lucky you. our max on the surgical PCU is 5 patients per nurse. we have a tech from 7am until 11 pm and then we are on our own all night.

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I work nights on a surgical stepdown/tele unit and our ratio is 1:5-7. We typically have 1-2 PCA's and 22-27 pts. It's kind of nuts. It feels like I'm constantly treading water with 6 and like I want to throw up with 7. It wouldn't be so bad if at least one of those pts wasn't an admission and it usually is. And they typically come to us from the ER with either extremely hypertensive or super high glucose. It's nuts. It's 4-5 pts on days.

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Specializes in Operating Room.

I night shift on a surgical PCU. No secretary after 11pm, one tech from 7p until 11p (sometimes no tech) and we have 4 or 5 patients every night. If we have 3, they will float someone to another unit or send a nurse home. They want us to have 5. "primary care." I'm sorry but I don't have time to do a bath if I am charting and taking care of 5 patients.... It sucks!

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I work surg tele. Days has 4-5 and nights 5-7. It's nuts. Most of our pts are really on the edge of being unit pts.

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Keep in mind I’m a new grad with 4 months under my belt. I work CPCU nights and we are supposed to have 4 patients. It usually turns into 5. (2 on cardiac drips, 1 s/p CABG, 1 going downhill needing Bipap, and 1 med/tele) Not to mention at least 3 of them needing q4 accuchecks. Usually we have 2 CNAs for 46 patients, but sometimes we only have one. The only saving grace is our Unit Secretary. She’s been there for 15yrs. She is a lifesaver. (Our lives LOL) Computerized charting but paper MARs. The unit is always shorthanded. Staffing calls every day I am off work to see if I can work. Talk about burnout!!

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