Nr533 Week 4: Staffing Ratios
Nr533 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?
Nr533 Week 4: Staffing Ratios Answer
I am a part of Keiser Permanente, a non-profit healthcare organization based in California. In adherence to state regulations, Keiser Permanente diligently complies with California’s mandated minimum nursing staffing ratios, as prescribed by law. The organization has effectively achieved and maintains these mandated staffing ratios, tailoring them to various healthcare units based on patient acuity, as outlined below:
| Healthcare Unit | Nurse: Patient Ratios |
|---|---|
| Intensive Care: | |
| – Critical Care/ICU | 1:2 (or fewer) |
| – Neonatal ICU | 1:2 |
| – Continuing Care | 1:4 |
| Mother/Baby: | |
| – Labor & Delivery | 1:2 (active labor) |
| – Antepartum | 1:4 (non-active labor) |
| – Postpartum | 1:6 (mothers) |
| – Couplet Care | 1:4 (couples) |
| – Well-Baby Nursery | 1:8 |
| Emergency (ER): | |
| – Trauma | 1:1 |
| – Critical Care | 1:2 |
| – Visits | 1:4 + triage nurse |
| Hospital Services: | |
| – Medical / Surgical | 1:5 |
| – Operating Room | 1:1 |
| – Pediatrics | 1:4 |
| – Postanesthesia | 1:2 |
| – Psychiatry | 1:6 |
| – Specialty (e.g., Oncology) | 1:4 or fewer |
| – Step-down | 1:3 |
| – Telemetry | 1:4 |
These staffing ratios are intricately determined by patient acuity and the specific healthcare unit. Two key variables influencing the staffing ratios within Keiser Permanente encompass the acuity levels of the patients and the nature of the healthcare unit.Nr533 Week 4: Staffing Ratios
These variables are essential in ensuring that staffing ratios are finely tuned to meet the unique needs of each healthcare unit, contributing to the delivery of optimal patient care and adherence to regulatory requirements.
