Clinicals 1/28/10 - 1/29/10 1800 - 0700

WHAT: I learned a little about the budget and staffing. I do not know if I can really explain it, but I will give it a try. The staffing budget has actual dollars involved, but that is not really what is looked at. What they look at is the census. The manager is allowed to have a certain number of employees per patient, but she does not have to worry about what wage each nurse makes. If all of her top payed nurse are scheduled and the census justifies the need for the number of nurses on it is okay. Employees are allowed to be scheduled an extra shift if they want but if the census is not high enough they are the ones who will be called off first then part time employees next.

The rest of the time I worked on my project. I got all my signs made and put up around the units and made my poster. Now all I have left to do is the teaching. I hope that counts for clinical hours so I can be done following Deb like a lost puppy. Just kidding she has been good.

SO WHAT: The clinical objective I meet was budgeting. I was also able to meet one of my goals. the goal was to learn what the budget is and how it affects staffing.

NOW WHAT: I feel better now about staffing and the budget because I understand that the census plays a bigger part in the decision making than just the money. Of course there could always be more money allowed per patient to keep the patient nures ratio down. That would probably be to much to ask for.