Lucille McDow

Abstract

This study was concerned with utilization of nursing personnel on a selected hospital unit. The purposes of the study were to: (1) show if the department was overstaffed or understaffed, (2) Indicate if there were too many students for the size of the department, (3) show how adjustments could he made within the department to equalize the nursing care provided to patients, and (4) see if it were possible to predict the proper number of personnel needed for optimum service.

The study was conducted on the seventeen-bed pediatric unit of a selected hospital. The descriptive survey was the method used and the tool, Patient Care Report, was completed by the head nurse on each shift for thirty consecutive days. This report, which is similar to tools used by hospital consulting firms, was validated by the industrial engineer of Loma Linda University. This tool listed a number of nursing procedures such as bathing, feeding, admitting and discharging which were performed for the patient. A specific amount of time had been previously assigned to each procedure based on an established average. Included in the gathered information was the number of hours allocated for patient care by nursing personnel on each shift. This record made it possible to calculate the percent of utilization of personnel.

The findings of the study showed that the morning shift was understaffed during the period of this study, while the evening and night shifts were generally adequately staffed. However, there were days in which the evening and night shifts were understaffed. The study indicated that there were not too many students (in terms of numbers) for the size of the department, and there was a possibility they were being over-utilized at that time. However, this study did not indicate whether or not the students or the staff personnel were being over-utilized. It was concluded that nursing service could predict to some degree how much patient care would be required for optimum service.

Recommendations derived from this thesis were that: (1) study be given to whether or not more employees were needed for the morning shift, (2) study be given to employing a second person for the night shift, (3) further studies be conducted in regard to non-nursing duties performed by nursing personnel which could be assigned to a ward clerk, and (4) a study be conducted to determine activities which could be performed by volunteers.

LLU Discipline

Nursing

Department

Nursing

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

Charlotte D. Ross

Second Advisor

Maxine Atteberry

Third Advisor

Erwin J. Remboldt

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Level

M.S.

Year Degree Awarded

1962

Date (Title Page)

6-1962

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Personnel Management; Nursing Service, Hospital

Type

Thesis

Page Count

viii; 55

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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