The purpose of this assignment is to prepare students to make staffing decisions based on sound financial management principles and compliance guidelines.

Scenario: You are the nurse leader of a 30-bed medical surgical unit and have to account for all staffing, including any discrepancies. Using sound financial management principles, complete the “NUR-621 Topic 8: Staffing Matrix” in the provided excel template.

After completing the matrix, compose an 1,000-1,250-word reflection answering the following questions:

1. Why is it important to use a staffing matrix in your health care setting?
2. Briefly describe your staffing matrix. How many FTEs (full-time equivalent) on the staffing roster are required to cover daily needs? What units of services or work measurement did you use and why? What financial management principles did you use to determine your staffing matrix?
3. Explain how you adjusted your staffing based on changes in the patient census.
4. You receive your financial report for the month. You have used more FTEs than what was budgeted for your census. How will you make up the variance? How would you reallocate resources to make up for the variance and still comply with guidelines?

Include two to four peer-reviewed references in your essay, including the textbook. 

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. 

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.