Well...first of all, I need to tell that I am doing the research about the Registered Nurse to Patient Ratio for each department in the hospitals in the US. And it's necessary to refer to the hospitals in the US since I think the hospital system there is standardized and can be used as a good source of reference.
I tried searching before but found many about the theory, the abstract, the blah blah blah but no exact number of the required ratio I'm looking for.
That's why I need to ask you guys a favor on this. Please share the Registered Nurse to Patient Ratio. You may tell your department and the ratio. Telling your hospital name too would be excellent but I understand if some of you find it uncomfortable. You can even PM me or leave me a message to PM you for your privacy.
I can guarantee I won't take the information I get to do anything else but for my project only. I'm from a country in South East Asia and just need the reliable data.
Hi, I know your research is about the US but it might be interesting for you to learn that the Nurse to Patient Ration in the UK is so much higher. 1 qualified nurse can have as many as 10-11 patients on a medical ward in the day and up to 16 on nights.
Started in Step Down ICU where it was 1 to 3. Currently in Medical-Surgical ICU where it is 1 to 2 unless it is a hypothermic protocol or CRRT then it is 1 to 1. We try not to do 1 to 3 in our unit. Charge will actually take a pt to keep that from happening.
Reading through some of the comments, I'm amazed at how many staff there are in a certain unit. Here in the UK, we do have ward clerks but they don't have any direct patient contact. Their responsibility is basically office work. They don't write on the medical notes at all. We don't have ward-based technician (what exactly is their responsibility in the unit?). We do have Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists who only work 9-5 in the week. You can't expect to see the on call Physio in the weekend unless the patient desperately needs to be seen. Some areas will have a Charge Nurse who is mainly the Care Coordinator so they are not expected to have a patient cade load. In a medical ward, a qualified nurse will have a healthcare support worker as a partner to look after 10-11 patients in the day. The number goes up to 16 on nights for a ward of 32 patients as there would be 2 qualified nurses and 2 HCSW. Other medical wards in my floor have 5 on nights. Only our ward is still working 4 on nights.
Med/Surg Hepatobiliary Transplant with some tele, 3-5:1 days, 5:1 nights (used to be 6:1, now with an extra nurse on at nights we will rarely have to go to 6 if we are full and down a nurse).
I work at a large magnet hospital in Milwaukee Wisconsin on an Oncology/Hematology unit. We are staffed 1 Rn to 3 patients, occasionally 4. Our PCAs take 10 patients.
Specializes in progressive care, cardiac step-down.
ICU. 1:2 is normal, we'll flex to 1:3 on occasion if we're short, and usually 1 or 2 of those will have transfer orders waiting for a bed, or be likely to transfer within 24 hours. 1:1 for CRRT, targeted temperature management, ARDS requiring prone positioning, and any pt that requires 4 point leather restraints. Veeeeeery rarely 2:1 if a patient is truly so sick that 1 nurse isn't enough. My unit doesn't do ECMO, but I think CVICU staffs those 2:1 and I'm pretty sure fresh open hearts and IABP are 1:1.
Tele is 3-4 on days and evenings, 4-6 on nights depending on acuity.
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Ayeen
2 Posts
Hi, I know your research is about the US but it might be interesting for you to learn that the Nurse to Patient Ration in the UK is so much higher. 1 qualified nurse can have as many as 10-11 patients on a medical ward in the day and up to 16 on nights.