Assume that you are a manager of a hospital inpatient unit that runs two 12-hour shifts per day, every day of the year. You have determined that you need to provide 253 care hours per day. Historically, 60% of your care is provided by RNs and 40% is provided by nursing assistants. Additionally, 65% of your care is provided on the 7 AM to 7:30 PM shift, and 35% is provided on the 7 PM to 7:30 AM shift. The hospital considers each worker to provide 12 care hours during their shifts. The expectation is that 85% of paid hours are worked. You may choose to either use in your calculation 12 hours or 11 hours as facilities use either based on whether breaks are included.

a. How many RNs and nursing assistants do you expect to work each shift each day?

b. How many FTE RNs and nursing assistants must be hired, if an FTE is paid for three 12-hour shifts a week?