Scenario: Mary Jane Smith has recently accepted a position as nurse manager on 1 West, a medical surgical nursing unit at Mercy Hospital Center.
Part A:
- Identify the nursing-sensitive indicators Mary Jane should consider in making staffing decisions.
- Discuss how nursing-sensitive indicator data can be utilized to enhance the safety and quality of patient care.
- Discuss the relationship between nurse staffing and two of the following: urinary tract infections, pneumonia, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, shock, or length of stay.
Part B:
Mary Jane has been asked by the Chief Nursing Officer to prepare a personnel budget for the coming fiscal year. Mary Jane has collected the following information, in addition to what she has determined, based on nursing-sensitive indicator data discussed in Part A.
Patient Data
Average Daily Census 28
Unit Capacity 30
Average HPPD 8.8
Total Care Hours 96,360
Staff Data
Total Hours/employee/year 2,080
Average Salary per Employee Category
RN $36.00/hour
LPN $22.00/hour
Nurse's Aide $12.00/hour
- Calculate the number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) that would be needed. Show your calculations.
- Explain HPPD. How would the acuity of the unit affect HPPD?
- Explain how diagnosis related groups (DRG's) and Case Mix Index (CMI) affects hours per patient day.
- Review the staffing plan for last year. What outcomes would you use to evaluate this staffing plan? Based on this data, would you recommend any changes for the upcoming year?