ucla stepdown-ca law-rn-patient ratios

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i heard that on a step down unit patient nurse ration is 1-4 and on a tel floor its 1-5 california law-IS THIS FOR REAL????????? i am from iowa and we dont have this law-but it sounds to good to be true-will someone fill me in b/c i just have a hard time believing this law is upheld

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yes that is correct.

Usually med surg is 1:4 b/c UCLA has good staffing (at least from my experience), but 1:5 is the max

In peds they are usually 1:3 but sometimes 1:4 and of course ICU is 1:1 or 1:2

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

hmmm...i might possibly take an assignment at ucla this spring. luv those ratios! :)

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It WAS the law. Then our muscle-bond, idiot governor put a hold on the ratios. He considers nurses "special interest" groups who he says he wont listen to. I really wish he would go back to acting. Come to think about it, he does act as a politician.

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Can you give us any advice applying to UCLA. I have been on the LA county website & seen application & supplemental forms. Would love to hear some advice if you have time.

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Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.
It WAS the law.

It still IS the law. The hold that the govenor imposed prevents the next step which was to be implemented January 2005.

The following are the current maximum ratios allowed by law in CA:

Intensive/Critical Care 1:2

Neonatal Intensive care 1:2

OR 1:1

PACU 1:2

L&D 1:2

Antepartum 1:4

Post-partum couplets 1:4

Post-partum women only 1:6

Pediatrics 1:4

ER 1:4

ICU patients in ER 1:2

Trauma patients in ER 1:1

Step Down 1:4

*(1:3 in 2008)

Telemetry: 1:5

*(1:4 in 2008)

Med/Surg 1:6

*(1:5 in 2005)

Other specialty care 1:5

*(1:4 in 2008)

Psychiatric 1:6

The med/surg or mixed unit ratios were set to go down to 1:5 this month, but that is what he stopped.

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Can you give us any advice applying to UCLA. I have been on the LA county website & seen application & supplemental forms. Would love to hear some advice if you have time.

I will PM you some info....If anyone else is interested, PM me w/your questions

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i heard that on a step down unit patient nurse ration is 1-4 and on a tel floor its 1-5 california law-IS THIS FOR REAL????????? i am from iowa and we dont have this law-but it sounds to good to be true-will someone fill me in b/c i just have a hard time believing this law is upheld

It certainly depends on where you go. It is the law, but some hospitals flat out refuse to obey; others say they can't; others follow the RN to pt. ratios but eliminate any CNAs, LVNs and other support staff; and some legitimately try.

My s/o works NOCs on a high acuity tele floor and in the several months since starting, they have only had 6 pts. one time; most of the time she has 4. And if I'm not mistaken, days have four. Also, if her floor is staffed like mine, there is an acuity tool for the charge nurse to use which can tweak staffing a bit. In addition, each nurse has her own CNA.

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Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.
It certainly depends on where you go. It is the law, but some hospitals flat out refuse to obey; others say they can't; others follow the RN to pt. ratios but eliminate any CNAs, LVNs and other support staff; and some legitimately try.

Thi sis so true. My hospital cut many jobs at first, mostly ancillary staff, laid off some and rearranged others. But less than a year later we were right back to the way we were before the ratios set in (at least on my unit, the trauma ICU, CCU, and a tele unit a friend of mine works on).

The difference between my hospital, and I assume places like UCLA, and others is that 1) it's a great supportive place to work, 2) everyone is unionized, inlcuding CNAs, housekeepers, etc., 3) this hospital began preparing for this when the bill was signed into law in 1998 (I think that's when Davis signed it), and 4) No matter what, I have never felt that this hospital tries to skirt any laws in any way. From breaks to abbreviations used in orders. We can proudly say we are in compliance.

This is a not for profit, very well known hospital AND we had a 2 million dollar profit in 2004 (read that in a hospital/university newsletter, can't elaborate further because all I read was the headline).

It seems to me that the ones complaining are the ones who are much more concerned about the paychecks for higher-ups and the profit of the hospital than they are about patient care. For a lot (I'M NOT SAYING ALL) of these hospitals that complain that they cannot meet the ratios, it's their own fault for not preparing for the inevitable.

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, CCU, teaching.

If anyone knows the name of some hospitals in the LA area that are compliant with the nurse pt ratio law and a great place to work and/or train (like the one's that were described in the above post) please let me know. I am currently working for a LA hospital that I am not real happy with and am looking for a new job to start in June (most likely moving from Tele to ICU). I would love to know the hospital I choose has a good reputation for treating their nurses great. Thanks.

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, CCU, teaching.

If anyone knows the name of some hospitals in the LA area that are compliant with the nurse pt ratio law and a great place to work and/or train (like the one's that were described in the above post) please let me know. I am currently working for a LA hospital that I am not real happy with and am looking for a new job to start in June (most likely moving from Tele to ICU). I would love to know the hospital I choose has a good reputation for treating their nurses great. Thanks.

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