NUR 621 STAFFING MODEL FOR A 30-BED
SKILLED NURSING FACILITY PATIENT-TO-NURSE
RATIO AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION
BREAKDOWN 2026
◉ FTEs (Full-Time Equivalents). Answer: Measure of the work
commitment of a full-time employee
- 1.0 FTE = full time employee who works 40 hours per week
- 0.9 FTE = employee who works 36 hours
- 0.5 FTE = part-time employee who works 5 days/week
*FTE hours are a total of all paid time (includes worked and non-
worked time)
◉ FTE Hours. Answer: Totality of all paid time
-Includes worked and non-worked time
◉ Productive Hours. Answer: ○ Hours worked and available for
patient care
* When considering the number of FTEs you need to staff a unit, you
must count only the productive hours available for each staff
member
,◉ Nonproductive Hours. Answer: - Benefit time such as vacation,
sick time, and education time
◉ Employee Classifications. Answer: • Direct Care: time spent
providing hands-on care to patients (RN/LVN)
• Indirect Care: time spent on activities related to patient care
(mangers, unit clerk...)
◉ Unit of Service. Answer: Variety of volume measures that are used
to reflect different types of patient encounters and indicators of
nursing workload
• Nursing workload dependent of nursing care needs of patients
○ Contributors:
-Work intensity
-Patient volume - used in budget negotiation to project nursing
needs of patients and to assure adequate resources for safe patient
care
-Nursing Hours Per Patient Day (NHPPD): amount of nursing care
required per patient in a 24-hour period
◉ NHPPD. Answer: Nursing Hours Per Patient Day
• Reflects only productive nursing time available based on the
following:
○ Midnight census
, ○ Past unit needs
○ Expected practice trends
○ National benchmarks
○ Budget negotiations
◉ Nurse Intensity. Answer: • Measure of amount and complexity of
nursing care needed by a patient
• Dependent on many factors that are difficult to measure:
○ Severity of patient's illness
○ Patient dependence for ADLs
○ Complexity of care
○ Amount of time needed for care
○ Patient turnover
◉ Patient Classification Systems (PCS). Answer: • Measurement tool
used to determine nursing workload for specific patient or group of
patients over specific period of time
-Acuity
◉ Patient Acuity. Answer: Measure of nursing workload generated
for each patient
-Used to predict the amount of nursing time needed; as acuity rises
so does nursing time
SKILLED NURSING FACILITY PATIENT-TO-NURSE
RATIO AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION
BREAKDOWN 2026
◉ FTEs (Full-Time Equivalents). Answer: Measure of the work
commitment of a full-time employee
- 1.0 FTE = full time employee who works 40 hours per week
- 0.9 FTE = employee who works 36 hours
- 0.5 FTE = part-time employee who works 5 days/week
*FTE hours are a total of all paid time (includes worked and non-
worked time)
◉ FTE Hours. Answer: Totality of all paid time
-Includes worked and non-worked time
◉ Productive Hours. Answer: ○ Hours worked and available for
patient care
* When considering the number of FTEs you need to staff a unit, you
must count only the productive hours available for each staff
member
,◉ Nonproductive Hours. Answer: - Benefit time such as vacation,
sick time, and education time
◉ Employee Classifications. Answer: • Direct Care: time spent
providing hands-on care to patients (RN/LVN)
• Indirect Care: time spent on activities related to patient care
(mangers, unit clerk...)
◉ Unit of Service. Answer: Variety of volume measures that are used
to reflect different types of patient encounters and indicators of
nursing workload
• Nursing workload dependent of nursing care needs of patients
○ Contributors:
-Work intensity
-Patient volume - used in budget negotiation to project nursing
needs of patients and to assure adequate resources for safe patient
care
-Nursing Hours Per Patient Day (NHPPD): amount of nursing care
required per patient in a 24-hour period
◉ NHPPD. Answer: Nursing Hours Per Patient Day
• Reflects only productive nursing time available based on the
following:
○ Midnight census
, ○ Past unit needs
○ Expected practice trends
○ National benchmarks
○ Budget negotiations
◉ Nurse Intensity. Answer: • Measure of amount and complexity of
nursing care needed by a patient
• Dependent on many factors that are difficult to measure:
○ Severity of patient's illness
○ Patient dependence for ADLs
○ Complexity of care
○ Amount of time needed for care
○ Patient turnover
◉ Patient Classification Systems (PCS). Answer: • Measurement tool
used to determine nursing workload for specific patient or group of
patients over specific period of time
-Acuity
◉ Patient Acuity. Answer: Measure of nursing workload generated
for each patient
-Used to predict the amount of nursing time needed; as acuity rises
so does nursing time
