"During my career as a nurse, I have found out that the number of patients that I'm comfortable handling is relative to the unit that I'm working on. In a highly acute ICU, I've worked with as a high as 8 patients on a shift and felt this was overwhelming. On a Med/Surg unit, 8 patients on a unit that I'm responsible for is low. No matter the unit that I work on, I have a great method in place for prioritizing the needs of my patients and make sure that all of my patient's needs are met in a timely manner."

"Going into my first job, I have put a lot of thought into this question without having direct experience. Through my clinical rotations during nursing school, I never had a unit with patients to myself as I was always working with a preceptor. In a Family Practice clinic, seeing around three patients per hour, or between 20-25 per day, seemed very manageable in the way I watched her manage the day. For myself, handling a large patient load for a day will come down to my organizational skills and ability to prioritize needs in a timely manner."

"As an emergency nurse for many years, I was able to successfully manage the shifts where we were bombarded with patients. On these days, we often saw over 60 patients on a 10 hour shift and I was comfortable on those days due to my ability to stay organized and prioritize what needed to be done first. "

"This is a really good question, and it really depends on the situation and the acuity of the patients that I am caring for. However, for the position that I am applying for at your organization, where I would be caring for hospitalized geriatric patients, I would say my capacity would be ten patients, give or take, depending on patient acuity. I feel that one of my strongest skill sets is assessing the patients I am caring for and measuring my capacity, and when I do this if I feel that I am becoming overloaded, I will communicate this to the charge nurse so they can help redistribute or offer help of a CNA. I would not ask for help unless it was absolutely needed, and I only do so when I feel like I cannot properly care for patients who are in my care."

"I've had the opportunity to work in multiple settings throughout my nursing career, and I have learned that the workload I am able to take on greatly depends on the type of unit I am working on and the patient's level of acuity. On a Med/Surg unit, I have taken up to 7 patients. This kept me extremely busy throughout my shift, but I have a system in place to stay organized, and I was still able to meet all of the patient's needs. On a step-down unit I have had up to 4 patients. These patients' acuity level has been much higher and so having fewer patients was more appropriate in order to meet their needs and ensure I was able to provide safe, comprehensive care. Ultimately, I am very organized and efficient with my care so I can handle any workload given to me. I always work closely with my team and nursing assistant to ensure all patient needs are met."