The Perfect Balance Of Nurse Essay

The economic impact on healthcare has taken its toll on the number of registered nurses providing bedside care to patients, compromising patient safety and dramatically increasing the potential for negative outcomes. Several factors have immensely contributed to the nursing shortages over the years, including healthcare organizations downsizing, increased workloads, inadequate staffing plans and job dissatisfaction. Mandated nurse-to-patient staffing ratios have been implemented in several states to date with many more trying to pass some type of legislation. Have these ratios affected the quality of care or is it more realistic to create staffing committees that are based on each unit’s unique situation and varying requirements?

Since the times when Florence Nightingale took care of patients, there has been a question about what factors affect patient care. One of these factors, nurse-to-patient ratios, has gotten significant publicity over the last several years due to a change in legislation in California. This increase in publicity has sparked many researchers' interest to further evaluate these ratios in connection with patient outcomes and other variables. Through lots of research and analysis there is evidence that a lower nurse-to-patient ratio does reduce the negative patient outcomes in patient care. Some of these

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the problems related to inappropriate nurse-patient ratios and provide suggestions that may improve the problem. The American Nurses Association advocates for proper number of nursing staff for delivery of quality patient care. However, hospitals are faced with problems related to decreasing staff levels. The Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2015 provides for patient protection by establishing safe staffing levels. This bill requires the staff nurse to be actively involved on committees and in the development of unit-based staffing plans. The formation of the Protest of Assignment allows nurses to advocate for change to ensure proper patient care. Nurse recruitment is another challenge that is

Mandatory nurse-patient ratios have been a controversial topic facing nurses for decades. Nurses, patients, physicians, nursing organizations, researchers, hospitals, federal government, and state governments have opposing views in regard to mandatory nurse-patient ratios. Those that support the idea of mandatory nurse-patient ratios believe that there would be an improvement in quality of patient care, decreased nursing shortages, increased job satisfaction, decreased client hospitalization, and increased nurse recruitment (Pamela Tevington, 2012). Groups that oppose mandatory nurse-patient ratios believe that mandatory staffing laws ignore factors such as the level of care a patient requires from a nurse, treatments, length of hospitalization, improvements and differences in technology, the expense of an increased nursing staff, and nurse experience and education (Tevington, 2012).

Primarily, it is crucial for health care organizations to focus on ensuring safe and quality patient care, as well as improved job satisfaction by enforcing an optimal and adequate nurse-to-patient ratio and creating innovative and long-term strategies through a collaborative effort. In order to ensure the safety of patients and nurses, state-mandated safe-staffing ratios are necessary. Adequate nurse staffing is key to patient care and nurse retention, while inadequate staffing puts patients at risk and drives nurses from their profession. As baby boomers age and the demand for health care services grows, staffing problems will only intensify. Consequently, safe-staffing ratios have become such an ever-pressing concern. In 2004, California became the first state to implement minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, designed to improve patient care and nurse retention. Subsequent studies show that California’s program measurably improved patient care and nurse retention.

Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine

As one might predict from the articles reviewed not one eluded that the bedside nurse disagreed with an improved RN to patient ratio. At this point you may be reading this saying; so hospitals need more nurses, why don’t they hire them. The answer is hospitals do, but because of the growing number of patients in the hospitals, nurse burnout, and nurses moving from one department to another or quitting all together, there is a nursing shortage. The problem becomes how hospitals can retain nurses when there are so many opportunities elsewhere. The upper nursing management, often known as the VP of nursing, collaborate with the accountants and CEO’s of the hospitals and have pressure to save money

Dr. Linda Aiken is the leading researcher in nursing staffing rates within the United States (Kerfoot & Douglas, 2013). She suggests that each state follows California’s example of conducting research to determine a minimum staffing ratio and making it a law (Kerfoot & Douglas, 2013). The California legislation enhanced nurse staffing in hospitals across the state and improved the patient care results of millions of patients (Kerfoot & Douglas, 2013). After the bill went into effect, job satisfaction increased, and the nursing shortage ended (Kerfoot & Douglas, 2013).

There is a strong correlation between adequate nurse-to-patient ratios and safe patient outcomes (Avalier Health LLC, 2015). Finding an ideal nurse to patient ratio has been a national challenge. In this article, there will be discussion of this problem and possible solutions. We will identify the parties affected most by change, possible opposition to change, steps to minimize those challenges, and ways of measuring possible outcomes of the proposed changes.

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.

Nurse-Patient staffing ratios have created debate among health care professionals for years. Who determines where, when and how many patients a nurse can handle on any given shift? Who determines the acuity of the patients handled by the nurse? Does the floor nurse have a say in what she or he can feasibly handle during their shift? At what point does patient care begin to suffer? These questions and many others have led to federal and state legislation coming to light to better serve the care of a patient. “The varied agendas and the inability of nurses, hospital administrators, and financial experts to communicate toward a single purpose, as well as the complexity of meeting staffing needs, have moved the issue into the political arena (Hertel, 2012, p. 1)”. Several states have already instituted mandatory nurse-patient ratios. While you can debate for or against political involvement, I will look at many factors regarding care and safety of patients.

Gordan, Buchanan, and Bretherton discuses the costs, benefits, and effectiveness of ratios between nurses and patients. There are more patients for nurses and as a result these patients receive less than effective care. The authors show how hospital cost cutting from the 1990’s created larger workloads and less desirable conditions for nurses and patients. The authors emphasizes three points in their book. The first two explore the events and decision-making processes leading to the implementation of ratios specifically in California and Victoria. The last point reflects on the arguments for and against these policies, the policies’ outcomes, and alternatives to nurse-to-patient ratios as a remedy for nurse shortages. Gordan is a professor at the University of Maryland School of

When someone is hospitalized, they are often in their most vulnerable state. Whether you are the fearful individual being hospitalized, a concerned loved one, or the compassionate care provider, ensuring the patient receives the best possible care throughout their stay is a substantial concern. When receiving care and trusting a facility with the health of the individual involved, wouldn’t it be assumed that the amount of attention and level of care received would be unwavering throughout the nation? Would it be surprising to you to find out that the patient’s outcome may be different depending on in which state they are being cared for? Depending on the state in which the care is being received, there may not be a limit to how many other patients your nurse is assigned to, thus, limiting time and energy that nurse has to spend with each individual. While this fact is a scary one, there is evidence that thousands of lives could be saved if hospitals across the nation would implement change and mandate nurse to patient staffing ratios.

As patient advocates, professional nurses realize the importance of being active in the political arena, regarding health policy to improve the overall health of society (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014). A nurse can work individually or as a part of a nursing organization, such as the American Nurses Association, to have a positive impact on health care policy (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the legislative process, analyze nurse-to-patient ratios, and provide my opinion on this workplace issue.

For the past decade, nursing staff patient ratios have been a widely controversial debate as to whether it should be mandated by law across the United States. Studies have shown nurse-staffing levels are a critical component of determining patient outcomes. Advocates supporting minimum staffing levels argue that it can ensure better quality care, better working conditions, positive patient outcomes and improved rates of nursing retention. Opponents who argue that minimum staffing levels may be an issue is due to budgets and reduces management flexibility. This topic was chosen because California remains the only state to require specific minimum nurse patient ratio. It is very interesting to see