Hospital Staffing

Should the government require hospitals to meet specified staff to patient ratios, or allow the hospital to make decisions about staffing levels, even if it means fewer staff working longer hours? This is a question that affects millions of hospitals and also effects protocols in hospitals all over the world. I rarely visit the hospital, but if I go to the hospital and it’s a very serious case will I be treated quickly enough? Registered nurses have long recognized and continue to point out that staffing issues are an ongoing problem. It is a problem one that influences the safety of both the patient and the nurse. There is a strong relationship between the patient and nurse to make sure the outcome is safe for both. Finding an …show more content…
My choice of either side was already made up and I felt like nothing could change that. After doing my research and writing out both sides of the argument, I feel that allowing the hospital to make decisions about staffing levels would be better for all. I feel like if the ratio law came into place it would limit hospitals too much and would actually make patients wait longer to be seen. With the ratio law, hospitals might lose a lot of money because they hired an amount of staff that they don’t exactly need. This ratio law would end up leading to a lot of staff and different workers in the hospital building being laid off. There are many benefits in the ratio law like nurses would be less tired but I think in the long run, the benefits of the no ratio out weighs the benefits of the ratio law. This essay has changed and opened my mind on so many levels. It’s very amazing how I chose a side before the essay started and I was sold on that argument and then by the end of the essay, I had changed sides and agreed that the no ratio policy was in fact better. If or when I ever visit the hospital, I know that I will be treated quickly under the no ratio