Nurse Staffing Ratio Calculator

Work out nurse staffing ratio instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Nurse Staffing Ratio Calculator

Divides the patient census by the target ratio to give the nurses needed per shift, rounding up because a fraction of a nurse cannot be rostered.

Formula

Staffing requirement

Nurses per shift = ceiling(patients / target patients per nurse); nurse shifts per day = nurses per shift x shifts per day

Worked example

With the default values below, Nurse Staffing Ratio Calculator returns Nurses required per shift of 5. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Patients on the unitaccepts 1–200: 24
Target patients per nurseaccepts 1–20: 5
Shifts per dayaccepts 1–4: 2

Results

Nurses required per shift: 5
Unrounded requirement: 4.80
Nurse shifts per day: 10
Patients per nurse achieved: 4.80

Step by step

1Values used
2Staffing requirement
3Nurses required per shift= 5
4Unrounded requirement= 4.80
5Nurse shifts per day= 10
6Patients per nurse achieved= 4.80

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
Educational estimate only. Not a substitute for professional clinical judgement, and must not be used to make treatment or dosing decisions.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Educational estimate only. Not a substitute for professional clinical judgement, and must not be used to make treatment or dosing decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this include the shift coordinator?

No. Supervisory, education and break relief posts are added on top of the direct care requirement.

What about annual leave and sickness?

An uplift, commonly 20 to 25%, converts rostered posts into the funded establishment.