[caliRN]

Hi all,
I am contemplating moving to Hawaii and was wondering if there are any RNs from Hawaii on this forum. If so, can you give me an idea of approximately how many patients you care for on a med-surg floor? I know that this is not state mandated, but do different hospitals have policies and procedures in place to ensure that nurses are not assigned too many patients to ensure they can provide safe patient care?
I'm from California, where the nurse-patient ratio is currently 1:5 on a med-surg floor and just want to see what I should expect if I move.
Thanks for the help!

[NavyJim58]

Hi caliRN and welcome to the forum. Although I am a Navy nurse and worked in Navy clinics during the 7 years I spent in Hawaii I also worked for an agency and did shifts in all the hospitals on Oahu. The med/surg ratio is similar to anywhere else in the U.S. 1:5 to 1:7 unless you work the night shift where you could have as many as 1:12.

[Harry_121]

There is no standardized nurse-to-patient ratio in Hawaii. I would suggest contacting the nurse managers in the hospitals in which you are interested to get the actual ratio. Bear in mind that the ratio may change if they are short-staffed on a particular shift. There simply are no guarantees here. I believe that the present nurse-patient ratio on med-surg is approximately 1:6 or 7 or 8 or 9, depending on the shift, night shift being worse. If you are coming here you most certainly would be placed on a night shift.