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:

1. Identify the nursing-sensitive indicators Mary Jane should consider in making staffing decisions.
2. Discuss how nursing-sensitive indicator data can be utilized to enhance the safety and quality of patient care.
3. 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

1. Calculate the number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) that would be needed. Show your calculations.
2. Explain HPPD. How would the acuity of the unit affect HPPD?
3. Explain how diagnosis related groups (DRG's) and Case Mix Index (CMI) affects hours per patient day.
4. 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?