St. Clair County Hospital is attempting to assess its needs for nurses over the coming four months (January to April). The need for nurses depends on both the numbers and the types of patients in the hospital. Based on a study conducted by consultants, the hospital has determined that the following ratios of nurses to patients are required:

Patient Forecasts N umbers of Nurses Patient Type R equired per Patient Jan. Feb. Mar. A pr.

Major surgery 0.4 28 21 16 18 Minor surgery 0.1 12 25 45 32 Maternity 0.5 22 43 90 26 Critical care 0.6 75 45 60 30 Other 0.3 80 94 73 77

a. How many nurses should be working each month to most closely match patient forecasts?

b. Suppose the hospital does not want to change its policy of not increasing the nursing staff size by more than 10 percent in any month. Suggest a schedule of nurse staffing over the four months that meets this requirement and also meets the need for nurses each month.