In Patient Hospice Staffing

**PWhite** · 10-02-2007, 06:53 AM

Does a 1:5 ratio sound reasonable to any one familiar with this area?
I understand that the Staff is mostly LPN with an ARNP in charge.

**PaulaJo** · 10-02-2007, 04:31 PM

No fair, you got the Paula name. When I saw the name I thought we had a third Paula.
lol, This format wouldn't let me have it so I became my alter-ego; the redneck Paula Jo.

1:5 sounds like a good ratio, but what do they do about call? Is there backup if you have two
patients going bad at once?

Duh, just realized you were talking about inpatient staffing, I haven't a clue how that works.

lol, I am wearing out the edit button, now if I could just spell check I would be set to rock & roll!

**pkjflrn** · 10-11-2007, 12:23 PM

The inpatient Hospice unit where I am working has 3 wings housing up to 16 patients each; the maximum patient load is 1LN : 5 patients. There is always at least 1 RN in the building and most nights there is an RN and an LPN for each wing (there is usually 10 or less patients per wing, but at 11 pt. we get a 3rd nurse).
Plus we have a CNA/HHA and a float nurse for the building.
We have a doctor physically present approx 7-8hrs/day 5days a week; an ARNP or PA on site for several hours Sat/Sun. and a doctor on call after hours nights and weekends.

**PWhite** · 10-11-2007, 02:00 PM

Thank you for your response.
Evidently this is what is happening on this unit.
I have no knowledge or experience in this area and I needed "feedback" for a personal friend.

**pjmalody** · 07-21-2009, 09:10 PM

I am working in an in-patient Hospice facility with 20 beds. The staffing is 1 RN 1 LPN 1 CNA per 10 patients. They have recently said we could have a 3rd CNA when the census is over 16. As Hospice has begun taking much more acutely ill patients (the so-called Open Access policy) the staffing has more and more frequently become inadequate. I work 3-11 shift and the worst times are when we have a census over 16 and 4 or 5 of them were that days admissions (3 admits on the day shift and 2 on mine). The needs of new patients and their families is much greater than established patients and they are needs my LPNs and CNAs can't handle. I am running from room to room putting out fires and not doing any quality hospice care at all. It feels more like a MASH unit or Hospice ICU than a true Hospice setting. It's also becoming more and more unsafe as the patients are put on pumps to meet in-patient requirements and we have more complicated patients on tube feedings, etc. I know that these kind of "economies" are happening everywhere but I highly resent the admisnistrators willing to put me in these risky situations. When I complain, I am told that the staffing "meets national standards". It's truly demoralizing.

**loving9** · 07-23-2009, 04:37 AM

This means that the ratio over the past 22 years is about a factor of 1.5 per year, what does it mean to have a digital audio workstation that has 2 million Lest anyone think that this level of infrastructure overhaul is too This produces the familiar echo or reverberation

loving seem

**USEEUS2** · 11-08-2009, 12:25 AM

We staff with 2 RNs for our 8 bed unit and 1 CNA. We have all GIP patients (no residential beds). We also take after hours calls from our home hospice from 1630 to 0800 (just the calls, no visits).

**esurburg** · 09-13-2010, 10:28 AM

What is the management standard for an 8 bed freestanding hospice inpatient facility? This facility is 5 miles from the administrative office.

**sweepkeeper** · 09-14-2010, 12:10 PM

hi
iam new here

**sooziangel330** · 03-15-2012, 12:36 PM

pj don't know if I alreday sent this, but I wanted to know if staffing positions had improved since this comment. thanks, soozi

**cactusscrub** · 10-31-2012, 10:58 PM

I'm trying to gather statistics for pt/staff ratio for inpatient palliative hospice units. Presently, I work on an 18-bed unit with 1 RN 1 LPN and 1 aide. Thoughts?

**scotttyna** · 11-01-2012, 06:37 AM

Originally Posted by pkjflrn

The inpatient Hospice unit where I am working has 3 wings housing up to 16 patients each; the maximum patient load is 1LN : 5 patients. There is always at least 1 RN in the building and most nights there is an RN and an LPN for each wing (there is usually 10 or less patients per wing, but at 11 pt. we get a 3rd nurse).
Plus we have a CNA/HHA and a float nurse for the building.
We have a doctor physically present approx 7-8hrs/day 5days a week; an ARNP or PA on site for several hours Sat/Sun. and a doctor on call after hours nights and weekends.

That is really good that even you have small number of beds but have very good facilities.