Staffing levels and turnover of staff in nursing homes may impact the quality of care nursing home residents get. Higher staffing ratings mean there are more nursing staff and less turnover of the staff, which may mean higher quality of care. The staffing rating is based on these measures:
- Registered Nurse (RN) hours per resident per day in a three-month period;
- Total nurse staffing (including RN, licensed practical nurse (LPN), and nurse aide) hours per resident per day in a three-month period;
- Total nurse staffing hours per resident per day on the weekend in a three-month period;
- Total nurse staff turnover within a given year;
- RN turnover within a given year; and
- Number of administrators who have left the nursing home within a given year.
The hours per resident per day represent each facility’s average over the last reported three-month quarter. For example, if the RN hours per resident per day is 45 minutes, then an average of 45 minutes of RN care are available to each resident throughout the day. However, these measures don’t necessarily show the number of staff present at any given time, or reflect the amount of care given to any one resident. Additionally, these measures include nursing staff with administrative duties. Individual residents may experience different staffing interactions on any given day based on the particular care they need.
There are other staff in a nursing home that aren’t captured in these measures or ratings, but still provide care and services to residents. These include staff in rehab therapy, social services, food and nutrition services, and others.