title: Workload measurement for resource nurses in the critical care unit: a pilot study.
abstract: Faced with financial and staffing pressures, the resource nurses in a large pediatric critical care unit asked, "How do we spend our time at work?" When a literature review showed no evidence of an applicable type of survey, a workload measurement tool was developed and the workload measured over a six-week period. Large amounts of time were shown to be spent on tasks or jobs that could be delegated to someone who was not a nurse. This study provided documentation to support the hiring of a staffing secretary and a pharmacy technician. An increased need to be available to offer educational and professional growth and developmental support to colleagues was also identified.
authors.affiliation: Critical Care Unit, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: VandenBergh
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Skibicki
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pratter
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D004282:Documentation; D006801:Humans; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D007587:Job Description; D015401:Nursing Administration Research / Q000379:methods*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013996:Time and Motion Studies; D000078329:Workforce; D016526:Workload