Would you do anything differently now that you’ve read the chapter?
A hospital unit may experience a steady census during the seven days of the week or a higher census from Monday to Friday. Its patient days may be distributed evenly during the year, or it may consistently experience peaks in occupancy in certain months (seasonality pattern) such as during an outbreak of influenza. Outpatient clinics may be busier on days when special- ists are available or vaccines are offered. Staffing is a challenge in all health care settings.
To determine the number of staff needed, managers must examine workload patterns for the designated unit, department, or clinic. For a hospital, this means determining the level of care, average daily census, and hours of care provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Both the Joint Commission, hospitals’ accrediting body, and the American Nurses Association identify staffing requirements. The Joint Commission (2011) requires that the right number of competent staff be provided to meet patients’ needs based on organization-selected criteria. The American Nurses Association (ANA) (Manojlovich, 2009) specifies requirements for staffing systems as shown in Box 16-1.