Have you been hospitalized lately? If so, this NPR story about nurse staffing will interest you.
How long did it take for a nurse to answer your call bell? How often did a nurse come to assess your status? How much time did the nurse have to spend with you?
I’m not surprised with the results of these surveys. I could have said the same thing forty years ago when I was working on a med-surg floor–1 RN, 4 aides, 32 patients.
Patients are sicker now than then, but adequate staffing has always been a problem. It’s unnerving that the situation never gets resolved. And, unfortunately, until we figure out how to pay for health care in this nation, we may see similar survey results forty years from now.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
Write Along with Me 
From what I’ve read, adequate staffing is a common problem world wide, no matter what system is employed.
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Discouraging! From this article, it sounds like the problem now is more the dollar than a shortage as it has been in the past. I keep hoping that someone finds the magic bullet so that nurses can feel like they can give safe care and patients can feel safe going to the hospital. Maybe the collective knowledge from our Class of ’62 could give some suggestions…wouldn’t that be great?
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