Sample

Each unit in a hospital has their staffing plans outlined in pages such as these.  When you click on a unit age, you will see at the top: The Name of the Hospital, how many licensed beds it has, what type of hospital it is (Acute Community; Specialty, Etc.), and the type of unit you are viewing (ICU, Oncology, etc.).
Please remember: Each patient is unique and his or her conditions may change from hour-to-hour, shift-to-shift, thereby requiring changes to the staffing plans outlined on this site.  Also, remember: the following are staffing plans. Massachusetts hospitals are committed to filing their actual plans beginning next year and to explain what actions were taken if there is a significant variation from the plan (+/-5%).

Hospital Name
200 Hospital Licensed Beds
Acute Community - Teaching
(Hospital Type)
B3
(Unit Name)
Adult Medical - Oncology
(Unit Type)

This Blue Box containing the words “Average Number of Patients Per Day” tells you how many patients are, on average, on the unit floor per day.

Look below this Direct Caregivers Box.  Registered Nurses (RNs) are listed with Other Caregivers.  Scroll to the right.  You’ll see that at this hospital unit the day shift runs from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and that a shift for an RN is eight (8.0) hours.  Then look at each day of the week (Monday through Sunday) to see how many RNs and other personnel are staffing the unit. In this case, it’s four (4.0) RNs and two (2.0) Other caregiver.

The number in the box to the right tells you the unit’s Worked Hours Per Patient Day (WHPPD) – i.e. the number of hours of direct care a patient can expect to receive from an RN, along with LPNs and nursing assistants in a twenty-four hour period.  Worked hours per patient day is a measure that is nationally recognized and part of the National Quality Forum’s Nurse Sensitive Measure Set.

In the box below are Additional Team Members that are available on the Day, Evening, and Night Shifts (depending if the box next to their title has an “x” in it). To learn more about these caregivers do, visit this Who’s Who page.

Additional Care Team Members Click here for Care Team Member definitions Skills Shift Coverage   Day Evening Night Unit Nurse Management x     Staff Educator x     Clinical Nurse Specialist x     Unit Clerical Support x x   1:1 Patient Observer x x x Admissions Nurse       Patient Transport Team x     IV Therapy Team / Line Access x x   Monitor Technician       Rapid Response Team       Respiratory Therapy Support x x x Nutritionist x     Rehab Activities (OT, PT, Speech) x     Clinical Pharmacist x x   Licensed Social Services / Case Management x     Spiritual Services x x x Hospitalist / NP / PA x x x Intensivist / Neonatologist       Nursing Student x x   Recreation / Milieu Therapist       Intern / Resident       The list of caregivers in these boxes were provided to all hospitals. Individual hospitals added the types of caregivers shown in these boxes.

Additional Unit Information: This tells you more information about the unit.