Better ways.I noted that you only speak to one of eight different parts of the article you reviewed. (Mandatory Hospital Nurse to Patient Staffing Ratios: Time to Take a Different Approach) The gist of the article, produced by a well educated RN, not a chief financial officer, is that there are better ways of identifying the correct number of patients a nurse may be assigned as·sign tr.v. as·signed, as·sign·ing, as·signs 1. To set apart for a particular purpose; designate: assigned a day for the inspection. 2. . Having worked in both med/surg and hospice hospice, program of humane and supportive care for the terminally ill and their families; the term also applies to a professional facility that provides care to dying patients who can no longer be cared for at home. I have noted that good charge nurses take into account whether the patient is a "walkie/talkie" with a high level of self care versus a "needy need·y adj. need·i·er, need·i·est 1. Being in need; impoverished. See Synonyms at poor. 2. Wanting or needing affection, attention, or reassurance, especially to an excessive degree. " which is closer to full care by the nurse when making assignments. Poor charge nurses simply divide the number of patients by number of nurses present for duty. Mandatory patient ratios is essentially congressional mandate A judicial command, order, or precept, written or oral, from a court; a direction that a court has the authority to give and an individual is bound to obey. A mandate might be issued upon the decision of an appeal, which directs that a particular action be taken, or upon a of the second style of assignment. John Buehler-Garcia AAS, BS, BSN BSN abbr. Bachelor of Science in Nursing , RN [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] You are absolutely correct in your assessment both of my review and the gist of the article. A good charge RN can make the difference between good assignments and bad ones. But in my experience after working in 35 facilities and clinics across the U.S., hospital management cannot be trusted to do the right thing. Push comes to shove; they will almost always err on the side of profits. While I absolutely agree that mandated ratios is not the best way to keep patients and nurses safe, it is better than no ratio laws at all. Perhaps I should have included this thought in my writing. In my view, the solution to ultimate ratios is to allow the market to do its thing. Imagine if nurses worked together as independent groups similar to the way physicians work. If we could charge insurance companies and Medicare Medicare, national health insurance program in the United States for persons aged 65 and over and the disabled. It was established in 1965 with passage of the Social Security Amendments and is now run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. per patient, nurses could work as much or as little as they want. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , ambitious, energetic nurses could take on 8 patients, while semi-retired nurses could take on one or two. The more patients you care for, the more income. By working in groups, nurses could take turns sleeping at night, the way physicians do. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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