Med/Surg patients are defined for this poll as surgical care patients, telemetry patients, dialysis patients, and the other typical acute care patients that are now placed on the floor.
I am trying to obtain information on the nurse to patient ratio problem as it applies to the shortage of nurses at the bedside.
I believe that the reason many hospitals end up on diversion and the reason that there is a "nursing shortage" is actually one and the same.
Nurses are having to take care of too many patients and the patient acuity levels have increased. The results are such that patients need more "hours" of bedside nursing care than ever.
Quanity care has replaced quality care. Patients that were once placed only in ICU are now put on the floor with their multiple IV lines, drips, tubes, and potential for complications.
Nurse's care.... they care enough to want only the very best for their patients. Thanks in advance for all who participate.
Where I work the RN is partnered with either a LPN or CNA and on evening shift we usually have about 6 patients per team, of course sometimes 7 or 8 depending on the amount of admissions and who the charge nurse is, (one will not put anyone over 7 and will take admissions herself)
My ratio swings wildly. In one three day period I had 1 patient and on another 3 day period I had 9/10. Most the time it is between 5 and 7. That is usually sharting and aid with the whole floor. It is a 26 bed unit and we are supposed to have two aides when we have 18 or more patients. It hardly ever happens except on daylight.
The ratio on my floor is 6 pts to a nurse. The floor is very heavy but we all work as a team. i went to a place before this job whose ratio at night is 16 pts to 1 nurse. it was a 32 beds unit with 3 RNs in the day and 2 at night. i left on the sixth day of orientation for my license and patients sake. :monkeydance:
twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN
1,289 Posts
Thank God, just 6-8 patients at a time.