This study explored South Dakota (SD) Nurse Administrators' (NAd)/Nurse Managers' (NM) attitudes about Nurse-To-Patient (NTP) ratios, the nurse shortage, job satisfaction, and patient care. Awareness of these important issues can benefit the nursing profession with additional knowledge and enhance patient care delivery in the midst of a nursing shortage. There is an increasing body of evidence showing that higher NTP ratios are related to decrease patient morbidity/mortality and higher job satisfaction. A newly developed, Likert-type survey was mailed to a convenience sample of 128 SD NAds/NMs; 49 completed the survey. The data showed that over half of SDNAds/NMs favored NTP ratios; however, there were mixed opinions on the value of ratios and the effect ratios may have on the nursing shortage, job satisfaction, retention, and patient care. These mixed results suggest that there is a need to educate NAds/NMs about ratios.
","abstract_html":"<p>This study explored South Dakota (SD) Nurse Administrators' (NAd)/Nurse Managers' (NM) attitudes about Nurse-To-Patient (NTP) ratios, the nurse shortage, job satisfaction, and patient care. Awareness of these important issues can benefit the nursing profession with additional knowledge and enhance patient care delivery in the midst of a nursing shortage. There is an increasing body of evidence showing that higher NTP ratios are related to decrease patient morbidity/mortality and higher job satisfaction. A newly developed, Likert-type survey was mailed to a convenience sample of 128 SD NAds/NMs; 49 completed the survey. The data showed that over half of SDNAds/NMs favored NTP ratios; however, there were mixed opinions on the value of ratios and the effect ratios may have on the nursing shortage, job satisfaction, retention, and patient care. These mixed results suggest that there is a need to educate NAds/NMs about ratios.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Erdahl-Wynia, Shelley"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Thesis - University Access Only","degree_discipline":"Graduate Nursing","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Barbara Hobbs"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2008,"date_issued":"2008-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2008-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:28:23Z","subjects":["nurse attitudes","nursing satisfaction","nursing performance","Nursing"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright © 2008 Shelly Erdahl-Wynia"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/932","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Barbara Hobbs"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Erdahl-Wynia, Shelley"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Graduate Nursing"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - University Access Only"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["nurse attitudes","nursing satisfaction","nursing performance","Nursing"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright © 2008 Shelly Erdahl-Wynia"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/932"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This study explored South Dakota (SD) Nurse Administrators' (NAd)/Nurse Managers' (NM) attitudes about Nurse-To-Patient (NTP) ratios, the nurse shortage, job satisfaction, and patient care. Awareness of these important issues can benefit the nursing profession with additional knowledge and enhance patient care delivery in the midst of a nursing shortage. There is an increasing body of evidence showing that higher NTP ratios are related to decrease patient morbidity/mortality and higher job satisfaction. A newly developed, Likert-type survey was mailed to a convenience sample of 128 SD NAds/NMs; 49 completed the survey. The data showed that over half of SDNAds/NMs favored NTP ratios; however, there were mixed opinions on the value of ratios and the effect ratios may have on the nursing shortage, job satisfaction, retention, and patient care. These mixed results suggest that there is a need to educate NAds/NMs about ratios.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Nurse Administrators' and Nurse Managers' Attitudes About Nurse-To-Patient Ratios, the Nurse Shortage, Job Satisfaction, and Patient Care"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Barbara Hobbs"],"dc:creator":["Erdahl-Wynia, Shelley"],"dc:description.abstract":["This study explored South Dakota (SD) Nurse Administrators' (NAd)/Nurse Managers' (NM) attitudes about Nurse-To-Patient (NTP) ratios, the nurse shortage, job satisfaction, and patient care. Awareness of these important issues can benefit the nursing profession with additional knowledge and enhance patient care delivery in the midst of a nursing shortage. There is an increasing body of evidence showing that higher NTP ratios are related to decrease patient morbidity/mortality and higher job satisfaction. A newly developed, Likert-type survey was mailed to a convenience sample of 128 SD NAds/NMs; 49 completed the survey. The data showed that over half of SDNAds/NMs favored NTP ratios; however, there were mixed opinions on the value of ratios and the effect ratios may have on the nursing shortage, job satisfaction, retention, and patient care. These mixed results suggest that there is a need to educate NAds/NMs about ratios.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/932"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright © 2008 Shelly Erdahl-Wynia"],"dc:subject":["nurse attitudes","nursing satisfaction","nursing performance","Nursing"],"dc:title":["Nurse Administrators' and Nurse Managers' Attitudes About Nurse-To-Patient Ratios, the Nurse Shortage, Job Satisfaction, and Patient Care"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Graduate Nursing"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - University Access Only"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:28:23Z"}