Make a NATIONAL law for safe nurse-patient ratios!!! Not only does this protect nurses but it also better protects you as a patient!
Safe ratio = safe patient
Example:
ICU 1:2
Step-down 1:4
Medsurg 1:5
29 Likes
I agree, a national standard for the nurse-to-patient ratio must be met. However, these numbers would look good if you had a nursing aide helper. A 1:5 ratio on a Med/Surg unit with no NA to help is dangerous. Not all step-downs are the same. An IMU unit should be 1:3 with an NA helper.
I can guarantee that once there is a national standard the hospital setting will be like here you are. This is the standard now and you will be primaried in a 1:5 assignment. Because of this, there needs to be careful consideration in the wordage.
My proposal would be a team nurse model with a nurse aide and a free-floating charge RN:
Med/ Surg - 1:5 teamed with NA + Free RN / 1:4 without NA + Free RN
Step-down - 1:4 teamed with NA+ Free RN / 1:3 without NA + Free RN
IMU - 1:3 teamed with NA + Free RN/ 1:2 without NA+ Free RN
ICU - 1:2 teamed with 1/2 NA / + Free RN (NA in ICU can be teamed with 2 nurses or 4 patients).
So for instance a 30-bed med/surg unit would have 6 nurses and 6 NA and a Free Charge. This would equal to 12+Ch. If there are not enough NA then the unit is backfilled with more RN/LPNs to maintain the same ratio 12+Ch.
The acute care hospitals will NEVER do this unless it is a law and they will spend billions on looking for loopholes to get out of it. They would rather pay a company millions on how to not pay you or hire new help.
fingers crossed for change
13 Likes
This should apply to the patient care assistants too. I have taken care of more than 15 patients on my shift. There’s no way to give quality care to that many people. I’m one person and can only do so much in 8 hours, not to mention not getting a lunch break or a break at all. I worked Med Surg.
9 Likes
I agree, that the NA and unit clerks are the foundation of a well ran unit. With my model, the NA would not have more than 5 patients.
3 Likes
Nursing homes are in huge need of set ratios. Management that promote continuity of care instead of telling you ,”there’s no such thing.” Michigan hospitals have ratios already.
7 Likes
While it sounds good in theory and will be awful if implemented in long term care. Mandating ratios only mandates the staff working to be stuck for 16 hours. Until the staffing crisis improves this is impossible
2 Likes
Very grateful for all the amazing nurses that stepped up to save us during some perilous times! We definitely did not have enough during Covid! They were over worked and under paid! They saw what was going on and spoke up. Thank you to a lot of the nurses!
6 Likes
On the other hand with no tax on overtime…might be tolerable until others are hired. Also, if they paid the nurse aide a living wage more may be willing to work.
Families should also be offered a paid training/certification program so they can be more involved in their loved ones care.
2 Likes
Add the same for nursing care.
The fact that moving between KS and MO means a completely different level of care due to there simply being a different number of hours per patient/resident, is insane.
As is the fact that the states grant the facility the entire social security of the residents except for $50 or $60 a month.
You can’t even get a phone for that, or an internet connection - to maintain contact with the world.
It’s like putting them away to be forgotten is the actual goal.
But we can afford $2800/month for illegals, and that’s without counting their access to vision/ebt/food stamp/etc programs, and free healthcare and education. AND free housing in much of the country.
But the people who built the country, who worked, fought, and raised us, we can’t afford to provide adequate care for.
5 Likes
If you incentivize the extra time with double or triple time (and now no tax on OT) or give it in extra paid days off, people will sign up to work extra.
1 Like
No they don’t. It’s exhausting. Money isn’t everything especially when you can’t provide adequate care
Nobody wants to be mandated. We expect to go in, work our shift and leave. I’ve picked up shifts for double or triple time and it still sucks.
2 Likes
Offering extra money for nurses in to pick up extra shift is better than having no staff at all. Now the way things are run no one wants to pick up extras shift because they are over taxed. When President Trump gets ride of tax on over time then people will pick up for double or triple time.
Nursing homes must be removed from a profit base to non-profit. No agency who makes money on others she be a profit organization.
3 Likes
Thank you so much. It was rough for sure. At times I felt like it was day 6 on Surviver 
2 Likes
What state do you live in? The whole healthcare system needs to be reformed. What I am saying there needs to be perks for people to want to work. Maybe extra paid days off, a free coffee station with free meals, or something? Bring your kids to work?
3 Likes
I agree!!!
I think the floor ratio for RN’s should be MS 1:4 , 1:5 if they run the floors similar to ED. Step-down 1:3, ICU 1:2, 1:1 if possible.
Working in the ED has really changed my perspective on staffing and that’s coming from my background of working on the floor for 12yrs.
Staffing shifts like they do in the ED could make a huge difference across the entire hospital.
Maybe not as much staff as they need in ED….but flexible, overlapping schedules:
12p-12a,
3p-3a,
7a-7p,
7p-7a,
Staff tasking (helping with admits, discharge, labs, pt care, giving nurses breaks).
Allowing staff to pick up 8hr shifts. It would at the least help with burnout.
And of course NO TAX on OT would be great. 
And this applies to nursing techs also, with ratio of 1:6 patients or 1:5.
There definitely needs to be a policy for safer staffing. It’s been long overdue.
3 Likes
Yes
I agree with you on this. The nurse-to-patient ratio be determined by department. Errors may occur due to the fact that nurses and clinical staff are frequently dispersed. I believe that this is crucial not only for the retention of healthcare professionals but also for the provision of safe and adequate treatment to our elderly and hardworking citizens. By implementing department-specific ratios, we can ensure that each area receives the appropriate level of staffing to prevent burnout and maintain quality care. This tailored approach will also help optimize efficiency and communication within each unit, ultimately benefiting both staff and patients.
It doesn’t help you have RNs fleeing to be NPs and their training is often very poor quality. It would help if there were severe restrictions on who could be an NP and who not. Ex: must have +10 years of RN experience in the specific subspecialty prior to being a NP of said specialty.
Right now you have RNs with no experience being an RN being NPs or being an NP in an unrelated field they have no experience.
Why? They’re chasing money