Workload measurement for resource nurses in the critical care unit: a pilot study

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.