Unsafe ICU staffing/ patient ratios! Please help!

[sophiern1]

I currently work in the ICU for a hospital in Arizona. In the last year, things have gotten very bad for the nursing staff. We go with out lunches, bathroom breaks, and RN/ Pt ratios have increased. We used to take one to two patients. Now, this has increased to 3 to 4 patients per nurse. Due to this unfortunate change, patients have self extubated themselves and medications errors have been made. We have lost very experienced RN's to other hospitals as well. However, management does not seem to care and uses registry or travel nurses to fill the gaps. Nonetheless, the new hires do not decrease the burden and workload on the staff. I just don't understand why the hospital is not hiring more RN's. Why is management making this environment so unsafe for patients? I am at a loss as to what to do. Please help!

[MYSTICOOKIEBEAR]

I mean this in the most respectful and encouraging manner possible, leave that hospital system. A hospital system that truly does not care about their ICU RNs, ratios, or patient safety is one that no ICU RN should ever work in. That is a dangerous situation and it is a ticking time bomb before something REALLY bad happens. Unless they are paying you double to triple your salary (which I highly doubt), it is not worth your time.

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

I mean this in the most respectful and encouraging manner possible, leave that hospital system. A hospital system that truly does not care about their ICU RNs, ratios, or patient safety is one that no ICU RN should ever work in. That is a dangerous situation and it is a ticking time bomb before something REALLY bad happens. Unless they are paying you double to triple your salary (which I highly doubt), it is not worth your time.

They obviously don't care about their patients either!

[Wolf at the Door, BSN]

I am not surprised. Arizona is bad to be a nurse. Not one darn positive story. Texas is bad too. I have had three vented patients, one on pressers, one was a new admission who required a lot of sedation to keep calm and one had been there for a few days on the vent. .