Each department or type of nursing needs a federally mandated limit to how many patients a nurse can have. Acuity levels should be legally mandated as well. There should never be a time when one nurse on a floor has 3 high acuity patients while the other nurse has zero high acuity patients. For example:
ICU 2-3 patients tops
PCU: should be a required step down unit with 2-3 patients tops
Medsurg: 4-5 patients tops
Observation: 4-5 patients tops
The current “hours” for nursing homes is ridiculous. The current amount of nurses and CNAs needed would simply need 1 KMA for every 24 patients to create a safer, more quality oriented environment for the patients.
Charge nurses shouldn’t regularly take patients unless there’s a TEMPORARY staff shortage. Temporary cannot exceed 2 weeks and cannot be more than 6 weeks a year.
While I understand that we have a shortage and those numbers can’t always be met, we can address this. For starters, any nurse who has MORE patients than the federal limit cannot be held liable for mistakes, only the hospital can. Any hospital that is paying under the normal rate for nurses causing a staff shortage can be fined $100 per hour for each hour they should’ve had a nurse.
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