California Nurse-to-Patient Ratios
Effective: January 1, 2008
| Hospital Unit | California Department of Health Services (for Non-Kaiser Hospitals) | UNAC-Kaiser Ratios |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Care/ICU | 1:2 | 1:2 |
| Neonatal ICU | 1:2 | 1:2 |
| Intermediate Care/Continuing Care Nursery | 1:6 | 1:4 |
| Perinatal Services | ||
| Labor & Delivery | 1:2 | 1:2 |
| Postpartum | 1:8 (4 couplets) | 1:6 (3 couplets) |
| Well-Baby Nursery | 1:8 | 1:6 |
| Postanesthesia (PACU) | 1:2 | 1:2 |
| Emergency Department | ||
| Trauma | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Critical Care | 1:2 | 1:2 |
| Visits | 1:4 | 1:3 |
| Operating Room | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Pediatrics | 1:4 | 1:3 |
| Stepdown | 1:3 | 1:3 |
| Telemetry | 1:4 | 1:3 |
| Medical/Surgical | 1:5 | 1:4 |
Different facilities will have different rules for adding additional nurses. Please call your affiliate officers if you have any questions. Find your Officers here.
For more information on a non-Kaiser facility, you may find more information on the California Board of Registered Nursing website’s Nurse-to-Patient Staffing Ratio Regulations page.