Survey: Has your facility implemented nurse to patient ratios?

RN-PA, RN · Jul 24, 2004

Our hospital is in the process of considering going for Magnet status. The amount of money I've heard that goes into applying for and attaning that status could be used to make our working conditions better and lowering the nurse-to-patient ratio.

Fortunately, I'm on a hospital-wide Retention/Recruitment committee, and I plan to make a stink about it at our next meeting in August. :angryfire

ann5366 · Sep 3, 2004

I am a LPN and I work in LTC. I have 40-42 residents to take care with g-tubes, foleys, IV's and major wounds. There has been times I Have had 1 cna!!!!!!!!
So the two of us are turning and positioning, changing bed linens and answering call bells. This is outrageous!
I've lost more good cna's becuase of this.
There should be a ratio of nurses to patients. Not only for my liscense but for the care and well being of the ill.

I too work in LTC in Va and we carry 30 patients with 10 of them being skilled, usually we have 4 CNA's, but alot of these LTC residents are total care. I think it's borderline dangerous because call lights cannot always be answered in a timely manner.

anndoodle · Sep 3, 2004

I also work in LTC on night shift. We have 2 nurses stations with 3 halls each, so it's me and one other LPN on nights with usually 3 to 4 CNA's to each station. I have approximately 40 residents to take care of, and many of them are total care....this includes a hall specified for Medicare admits fresh from hospital for rehab. Lots of charting, lots of hands-on. Good thing I have some great cna's that work with me. In Arkansas, I don't know what the specific patient/nurse or patient/cna ratios are.

I too work in LTC in Va and we carry 30 patients with 10 of them being skilled, usually we have 4 CNA's, but alot of these LTC residents are total care. I think it's borderline dangerous because call lights cannot always be answered in a timely manner.

top-pro · Sep 13, 2004

Here are the results of last months survey question
Has your facility implemented nurse to patient ratios? :

Please feel free to read and post any comments that you have right here in this discussion thread by clicking the "Post Reply" button.
Thanks

Here in kingston NY at the nursing home I work at we have one nurse and two CNA'S for a total care unit of 40 pts.If we are very very lucky we have three CNA'S.This is night shift. 7 to 3 shift is two nurses and four CNA's to 40 pts.Its awalful!!!

lorajane · Sep 16, 2004

I would LOVE to have worked with any of you. I've been on the medical specialty unit of a nursing home, and I routinely have 21+ residents, 1-2 with trachs, 3-6 with GT/meds, 1-2 PICC's with IV ABT. I have a med aide to give the PO meds, and usually 2 aides, but it's pretty intense... The hospitals were going through a phase of not hiring any LVN's, especially new grads, last year when I passed my NCLEX, but it sounds like a much better option than what I'm doing...

CASEYK · Sep 19, 2004

Jane,

Try going to the Operating Room as I did. You can only do one case at a time no matter what. They can add cases all day but you still just take care of your room and that is it. One patient at a time. I've been a nurse for 28 years and 14 years ago my floor closed and I took a position in the Operating Room and found that it is very rewarding and alot of fun. Kathy

TE=rn-jane]I wish we had a nurse-patient ratio, it all depends on your staff and how many beds are open on your floor. There are at times i have 8-12 patients (nights) and they will load you with admissions as long they can find a bed, which is probally why i' m looking elsewhere for a job. Granted acuity is the proper way to go but if we had a proper nurse-patient ratio i'd would not be leaving my facility.

JT TYPE RN · Sep 23, 2004

I have been a nurse for a month in a rehab type unit in extended care. I have had up to 13 patients. The experianced nurses say its hell, I feel like I could do a much better job if I only had 8 people to care for.

Wildhorse · Mar 27, 2006

I work in a Nursing Home in Texas we have 3 floors and on all 3 floors our pt to nurse and cna ration are pretty much the same. Our pt. to nurse ratio is 1 nurse (LVN or GVN) to about 55 to 60 pt. on all shift and our ratio for cna's is 16 to 24 total care pt. per shift with the exception of nights and they only have two cna's to cover for the whole floor along with the one charge nurse and sometimes the charge nurse is just a GVN Not taken anything away from a GVN but I do think they need someone there with some more experience that can help them if they run into a problem. They do not show you everything in nursing school. Right now my facility does not care if you have experience all they care about is a warm body there. We are working so short handed it is horrible.

PATME · Apr 3, 2006

As a result of a Studer Group Leadership study, my hospital system is 'implementing' improved staffing levels, and taking patient assignments away from charge nurses. It will be most interesting to see whether that happens, or not, in practice.

Ideas in a nutshell:Adress internal pay inequities based on total years of experience, increase shift differential, introduce float pools, give higher PRN pay, increase hiring rates for experienced nurses, increase recognition rewards for service anniversaries.

Anyone out there who works in Northern Virignia heard anything about this? Anyone have an opinion?

technbluum · Apr 5, 2006

I thought the california ratios were supposed to be 5:1? Also do you do team nursing? RN with LPN and if so does that mean you can take 10 pts?

nurseinmilo · Apr 7, 2006

20:1 patient staff on nights in missouri in a nursing home

nurseinmilo · Apr 7, 2006

i work swing shift 3 halls, one hall behind closed doors. generlly there 80 residents total, 3 lpns, 7 cnas, i feel fortunate. nights however suffers the most, if census drops as it did last week in our facility to 78, night shift worked 1 lpn and 3 cna's.....talk about dangerous....as long as regs were met administation was ok with that, i have given 2 weeks notice.