where they work during each day of a typical week based on the
cases you host and the surgeons who operate. One RN might be able
to supervise 2 medical assistants in post-op on Thursday mornings
because Dr. Tortoise works slowly, but you might need 2 RNs to work
recovery on Thursday afternoons when the pace picks up. Trust me,
sitting down with your supervisory staff and assessing patient flow
and staffing patterns for different days is a valuable practice in com-
ing up with accurate maximum and minimum staffing levels.
No st an d in g a ro u n d
Review this worksheet monthly with your staff and managers to gain
an understanding of how a certain number of hours "feels" on the front
line. Do staff feel overworked? Are they often able to leave early? Use
their feedback and the hard numbers you've generated to adjust your
staffing levels. I've used these steps to great success in several facili-
ties. If you need any help with the process, shoot me an
e-mail and I'll be glad to walk you through it.
OSM
Mr. Simonson (dsimonson@mac.com) recently retired as the chief anes-
thetist and managing partner of the Spokane (Wash.) Eye Surgery Center.
Staffing
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