Telemetry staff ratios

lee1 · Jul 4, 2004

What are your ratios like in your telemetry units. Days, eves, nights, are they different??? What is your acuity like?? Are you trauma level?? Major heart center??? Any other help----CCT or aide whatever you call them and what can they do???

Do you have something akin to "cluster"----beds monitored for patients in between ICU/CCU and telemtry??? How is that staffing???

lee1 · Jul 7, 2004

What are your ratios like in your telemetry units. Days, eves, nights, are they different??? What is your acuity like?? Are you trauma level?? Major heart center??? Any other help----CCT or aide whatever you call them and what can they do???
Do you have something akin to "cluster"----beds monitored for patients in between ICU/CCU and telemtry??? How is that staffing???

I can't believe there is noone here who wants to discuss their ratios !!!

RN2Be · Jul 8, 2004

Well, I take the NCLEX in a few days and will be starting on a telemetry unit. I was told to expect 3-4 patients in the day and 6-8 patients at night. We will have techs and a secretary on days and nights. The unit I'm working on is considered an unofficial "step-down" unit from what I'm told. Hope this helps you some....:)

Mistynurse · Jul 10, 2004

Hi,

I work at a large teaching hospital. Our telemetry units are divided into postop CABG, med-surg telemetry and a unit that does the majority R/0 MI, post-op cardiac cath. I work on the med-surg telemetry, 22 beds, all tele, days ratio 4-5/1 nurse, evenings 5/1 nurse, nights 5-6/1 nurse. We usually have two nursing assts on days and evenings, one on nights. We do not pull our own sheaths, however we do get alot of patients from other hospitals with sheaths in waiting for interventional cath.

Joycean · Jul 11, 2004

We are not a teaching hospital. There are 3 Tele units totaling 88 beds. The ratio is 4:1 24/7. We have 3 nursing assistants on days (12 hr shifts) and 2 on nights, monitor tech 24/7 and health unit sectretary from 7:00AM to 11PM on each unit. No vent patients and we do pull sheaths as well as med gtts.

Marnaby · Jul 19, 2004

I also work at a large teaching hospital on an intermediate, or step-down, cardiac unit. During days and eves the RNs take 3-4 patients and at night we go up to 6-7. We usually have 3 or 4 co-workers during the day, 2-3 on eves, and 1-2 at night.

EmilyRN · Jul 20, 2004

I am moving to a 20-bed tele unit in 2 wks. The nurse manager informed me that the ratio is 5:1 on days (12 hr. shifts) with a CNA.

nurseJackie · Jul 24, 2004

Hi I work in a 40 bed tele unit with step up pt's ( more critical pts. pts with a vent etc) We are a level 2 trauma center. On days the ratio is 1 to 3 or 4. On nights it is 1 to 6. I struggle with 6, I don't know how those of you with more do it. There are 4 cna's for the 4 beds. No tele tech as we carry a beeper/pager called stat view. I hate the stat view, as it is constatly going off for artifact etc. I would rather have one reliable tele tech.

capgirl · Jul 24, 2004

The official line is that the ratio on my med-surg tele floor is 6:1 with a PCA...however, the real deal is sometimes 4-5:1 with no PCA on days, sometimes 7:1 with a PCA, and those poor nurses on nights sometimes have up to 13:1. This is a community hospital. :crying2:

KaroSnowQueen, RN · Jul 24, 2004

Our telemetry units are: ICU, TCU, Open Heart, Post Open Heart, Cardiovascular, PCU, and a med-surg telemetry.

ICU and Open Heart have only 2 or 3 pts per nurse.

POHU has about 4 to 6 to a nurse.

CVU has about five or six to a nurse - they get all the post cardiac caths and I think that is WAY understaffed.

TCU and PCU also have about 4 to 5 patients each, usually 4.

Med Surg telemetry have 6 to 7 patients each, and that is too many.

All these units have a Unit clerk, a monitor tech, a charge nurse who usually has no patient load, the nurses and aides. ICU and Open Heart generally have only one or two aides as it's mostly primary care. The other floors usually one aide to ten patients or so.

rollingstone · Jul 25, 2004

Currently working a cardiology unit. No vents. Day shift 4:1. Nights 5:1, sometimes 6:1.