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Mon 13 Feb, 2006 09:22 pm
what is the average nurse to pt ratio that you are working?
what is the average nurse to pt ratio that everyone is working every day?
There is no "average". It depends on where you work. If you work in Long Term Care, the ratio is 20-40 patients to one RN or LPN. If you work on Med/Surg Unit, it could be 4-8 patients to one nurse (sometimes higher). If you work in the ICU or certain specialties, it is usually 1 or 2 patients to one nurse, but it could go as high as 3 or 4 to one, depending on the acuity of the patient, and if there is enough available staff.
# of patients
In Calif. the max is 5 pt. by law. Some try to skirt the law by having an LPN nad RN take 8 pts. but the RN is still responsible for all 8