Nurse Staffing Ratios Essay

The problem of inadequate nurse staffs is associated with disadvantages both to the patients and the nurses. The benefits to the patients include reduced mortality rates, improved health, disease prevention, proper patient care among other benefits. On the other hand understaffing has contributed to poor nurse outcomes like job dissatisfaction, fatigue, high workloads, turnovers, and others (Burnes Bolton et al., 2007). The staffing policy will help in solving all the benefits. The national and the local government should fully support this policy as it will health the government’s agenda of providing quality and affordable care. The plan addresses a neglected area that negatively affects the provision of quality healthcare. Although the policy is associated with some costs like salaries and wages its, the benefits outweighs the costs. This study recognizes that personnel is an essential element that cannot be ignored in the health care. Quality health depends on the availability of adequate staffs. Thus, the adequate nurse-staffing policy will help in solving the problems affecting quality health

The purpose of this article is to discuss appropriate nurse staffing and staffing ratios and its impact on patient care. Although the issue is just not about numbers as we discuss staffing we begin to see how complex the issue has become over the years. Many factors can affect appropriate nurse staffing ratios. As we investigate nurse staffing ratios we can see the importance of finding the right mix and number of nurses to provide quality care for patients.

Understanding the difference and similarities between managers and leaders can be enlightening. Managers develop and manage plans that impact the strategic vision of an organization while leaders set strategic visions for the organization. Managers establish plans, support strategic plans, and organizational objectives. Managers also evaluate and track the achievement of tactical plans that have been assigned to specific staff. While on the other hand leaders motivate staff to achieve the object and task set forth. Managers serve as problem solvers. Managers are the people who assign resources to groups. On the hand leaders serve as persuasive change agents.

Several studies have shown that patients get well faster and safer when they receive more nursing care. Even more importantly according to Linda Aiken study (2003), mortality rates and staffing ratios are closely tied. Each additional patient per RN after four patients, chances of dying in the hospital is increased by 7%.Patient on a surgical unit with patient –RN ratio of 8:1 were 31% more likely to die within 30days than those on surgical units with ratios of 4:1.Studies have shown that more infections like UTI, pneumonia, shock or cardiac arrest increases when patients receive fewer hours of nursing care. Medication errors and unsafe hand washing techniques were found more in increased patient workloads. Unsafe staffing gave more job dissatisfaction, job burnout and more nurses quit or drove nurses away from nursing. This increased mandatory overtime and increased nurse shortage. According to survey of California state

Managers direct and control. Leaders motivate and inspire. Stated another way, Managers get people to do what needs to be done. Leaders get people to want to do what needs to be done (read that again if you need to; the

Inconsistent nurse-patient ratios are a concern in hospitals across the nation because they limit nurse’s ability to provide safe patient care. Healthcare professionals such as nurses and physicians agree that current nurse staffing systems are inadequate and unreliable and not only affect patient health outcomes, but also create job dissatisfaction among medical staff (Avalere Health, 2015). A 2002 study led by RN and PhD Linda Aiken suggests that "forty percent of hospitals nurses have burnout levels that exceed the norms for healthcare workers" (Aiken, Clarke, Sloane, Sochalski & Silber, 2002). These data represents the constant struggle of nurses when trying to provide high quality care in a hospital setting.

In today’s rapid changing world, leaders are very pertinent, especially in the field of nursing. Good nursing leaders have the ability to provide direction, facilitate structure to reach goals, and cohesiveness throughout team members. Leader by definition is “someone who uses interpersonal skills to influence others to accomplish specific goals” (Sullivan & Decker, 2009, p. 329). On the other hand a manager is different. Their goal is geared toward being responsible and accountable for the goals of the organization. Below is the summary of an interview with L.A. Patient Care Manager of Endoscopy/ Special

Nurse staffing refers to the ratio of nurses to patients in a particular unit. The current global nursing shortage is simply wide spread and dangerous lace of skilled nurses who are needed to care for individual patients and the population as a while. A study on the nursing shortage by Linda Aiken of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, fund that an estimated 20,000 people die each year, because they have checked into a hospital with overworked nurses. (The American Nurses Association, Inc., 2010).

As a certified nursing assistant (CNA) on the medical-surgical unit at Meritus Medical Center, the shortage of staff from CNA to registered nurses have increased. It has become noticeable the amount of stress the staff endures and how it affects patient care. It has also affected their overall satisfaction with their careers. At least five nurses have left the job since last year and that is only from night shift. It makes a big difference when there is adequate staffing because everyone is able to work efficiently. Sometimes there are four nurses with seven patients each and only two aides. Therefore, it makes it harder to offer help because of the workload. According to Martin (2015), patient outcomes are less likely to be adequate when there

There is a difference between leadership and management, although they are similar in some ways. While, they both want to achieve common goals, influence people, and work with people, they are different. Managers aim to create consistency and

There are two main type of staffing ratios,the ratio of staff to resident and the number of hours per resident. I found it interesting howregistered nurses (RN), licensed practical nurse (LPN), and certified nursing assistant (CNA)staffing have separate measures. Staffing measures are usually reported by each category ofstaffing or by the responsibility of staff. Some studies report that (RN and LPN) are associatedwith better quality. This is good knowledge for me to know because I want to be a RN. Centersof Medicare and Medicaid Services was intended to broaden the investigation of staffing ratios toinclude turnover and staff mix. To do a good investigation the authors used two methods ofliterature. First they used a combined electronic literature search of four databases

Nursing is the powerhouse in the delivery of safe, quality patient-centered care in the healthcare industry. To ensure continued safety of the patient and nursing staff, the issue of inadequate staffing must be addressed. Consequently, patient’s mortality rate has been linked to the level of nursing staff utilized in ensuring an utmost outcome (Aiken, 2011). This paper will outline the issue associated with inadequate nurse to patient staffing ratios in the hospital setting; essential factors such as economic, social, ethical and political and legal affecting the issue will be established; current legislature and stakeholders will be ascertained and policy option, evaluation of bill and the results of analysis will be reviewed.

Through all the research, in regards to Safe Harbor, important information was obtained and some misconceptions were set straight. At the facility that this nurse works, it has always been threatened to claim Safe Harbor and the nurse to walk out. Recently, this was done when the medical-surgical nurse was asked to accept an admission on top of the other patients already being cared for by her, which would increase her patient load to a total of six patients. Acuity of the patients was not taken into account by the nurse. According to facility policy, this is an adequate staffing ratio. Staffing 1:5 or 1:6 for nurse-patient ratio is a recommend ratio for a medical-surgical unit (Tevington, 2011). Once researching Safe Harbor, there were multiple

We hear nurse’s talk about how rewarding their profession is but what they seldom talk about is how it can be very challenging as well. There seems to be many issues existing in the nursing profession. One of the most affective issues in nursing is the decreasing number of staff nurses. With inadequate staffing, nurses are demanded to have more responsibilities thus causing more stress on the nurse. This increase in responsibility causes nurses to neglect many aspects of their patients’ care. Patient care is suffering from the shortage of nurses as there is an increase in adverse patient outcomes due to the shortage. Also, there is evidence that there is a positive relationship between the number of staff and the effectiveness of their teamwork. The more staff available the more likely nurses will work together as a team. A new act is being implemented to help with the nursing shortage. This act is called the National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the issue of nursing shortage and how the National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act is an example of evidence-based practice.

The purpose of this paper is to address staffing ratios in the hospital setting ratios regulate the number of patients a nurse can give safety and quality treatment during a shift. nurses with inadequate nurse patient ratios can put patients at risk for longer hospital stays increased infections medical errors injuries and even death. safe staffing allows a registered nurse to ensure safe delivery of medications and treatments, having adequate