NR-533 Week 4 Discussion: Staffing Ratios (GRADED A)
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Course
NR 533
Institution
Chamberlain University
NR-533 Week 4 Discussion: Staffing Ratios Week 4: Staffing Ratios Staffing is one of the largest expenditures for healthcare organizations. It stands to reason that for some organizations a manda tory staffing ratio could negatively impact their financial bottom line. Sometimes ratios can be differ...
Week 4: Staffing Ratios
Staffing is one of the largest expenditures for healthcare organizations. It stands to
reason that for some organizations a mandatory staffing ratio could negatively impact
their financial bottom line. Sometimes ratios can be different within an organization
based on acuity of patients or type of unit. Explore your own organization staffing ratio
policy. What is/are the ratio(s) and how they are determined? What variables affect the
ratios? Have they been mandated by state legislation or organizational policy? How is
your operational budget (unit or department) affected by the staffing ratio assigned to it?
Hello all,
Labor management is a major strategy for most organization. It take personnel to run any
company. Nursing is the largest expenditure due to salaries, wages, and benefit cost related to
healthcare. Some states have adopted mandatory staffing ratios to provide safe, quality care.
Inadequate staffing jeopardies outcomes and safe quality patient care. Improper staffing has
been linked to higher mortality, increased adverse events, falls, and medication errors with
further consequences increased turnover rates, poor job satisfaction further escalating staffing
cost. (Johnson-Carlson, 2017) Therefore, if not properly managed, the cost could be detrimental
to the financial stability of the organization.
Multiple factors-patient census, care delivery model, budget- influence staffing needs including
the availability of staff. Staffing ratios can be determined using various methodology. My
facility is a 393 bed acute for-profit hospital that uses a team nursing model on the majority of
nursing units. Total patient care is utilized on specialty units, such as Intensive care, intermediate
care, and emergency remains. Staffing ratios are determined using an electronic based acuity
system. The acuity of the patient is determined utilizing a scale matrix. The medical units staff
at a ratio of 1:6-7, intermediate care and ED 1:2-4, and intensive care 1:1-2 ratio based on the
patient acuity level. Variables include fluctuation of census, available staff, patient acuity, and
absences. Staffing ratios has not been mandated by state legislation for Tennessee. However,
there is an organizational policy with recommendations but nothing mandated.
Variables that affect my staffing ratios, also affect my operational budget. My licensed staff is
salaried and my non-licensed is hourly. This can definitely be challenging to manage. My cost
centers include case management, including utilization management, and social services. The
case management department consist of licensed (RN) and non-licensed staff based (CM
assistants). Staffing ratios are determined by census and role. RN’s ratios are 1:20; CMA ‘s is
1:40. The formula is 1 RN staff per 20 patients with expectation that 50% will require some type
of active management.
As of 2019, 14 states had some form of nurse-to-patient ratio law or regulation. (de Cordova et
al, 2019) Regardless of how staffing ratios are determined, efficiency and effectiveness must be
foundational.
Gwen
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