Nurse Staffing FTE Calculator
Turn your staffing grid into budgeted FTEs.
No patient information. This tool only needs census numbers, shift lengths, headcounts and pay rates. Never enter patient names, record numbers or staff members' personal details. Name a plan by unit and year, such as "4 West FY2027". Your data stays in this browser and is never sent to MedRise.
Not saving. This browser is refusing to store your changes (storage full or blocked). Download a backup in step 6 before you close this page.
Saved data could not be read. It may have been damaged, so the tool started with a fresh plan and set the unreadable data aside in this browser (Clear my data removes it). If you have a backup file, restore it in step 6.
1. Plan
Compare options: duplicate a plan, change the skill mix or shift length, then use Compare with another plan in step 5.
2. Unit
Use your own organization's budget definitions. Defaults are starting points, not standards.
Total patient days ÷ days in the period. Use the census you are budgeting for.
Paid hours not available for staffing: vacation, holidays, sick time, education, orientation.
40 hours × 52 weeks = 2,080. Change it if your organization uses another base.
Weekday and weekend staffing are weighted 5 and 2 days in 7.
Used to turn paid FTEs into headcount. Three 12-hour shifts a week is 0.9 FTE.
Added to wages in the labor cost. Leave 0 to see wages only.
Your budgeted hours per patient day, if you have one. The results compare the grid with it.
Choose the roles your organization's HPPD target includes. Many budgets count charge nurses and unit secretaries too.
Non-productive hours per 1.0 FTE per year
3. Shifts
The shifts your unit staffs each day. Overlapping or mid shifts are fine; each is counted for its own length.
| Shift name | Length (hours) | Actions |
|---|
4. Staffing grid
How many of each role are on duty for each shift on a weekday and on a weekend day. Tick Direct care for roles that count toward hours per patient day. Hourly rate and current FTEs are optional.
5. Results
FTEs by role
| Role | Hours per day (average) | Worked FTE | Paid FTE | Headcount | Current FTE | Gap | Labor cost (per year) |
|---|
Worked FTE = annual hours on the grid ÷ paid hours per FTE. Paid FTE = worked FTE ÷ (1 − non-productive %). Gap = paid FTE − current FTE: positive means you are short. Headcount = paid FTE ÷ average FTE per person, rounded up.
Paid FTE needed vs current FTE
Patients per staff member on each shift
Average daily census ÷ headcount on duty. A planning view only: census changes through the day, and any ratio rules that apply to your unit must be checked separately.
Compare with another plan
| Measure | This plan | Other plan | Difference |
|---|
6. Excel and data
The Excel workbook has four sheets: Summary, Inputs, Staffing grid and Notes. Every result is a live formula, so you can change a census, a headcount or the non-productive percentage in Excel and it recalculates. It is made in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Your data
Everything is stored only in this browser. A backup holds all your plans and can be restored on another device.
Education and workflow support only. Nurse Staffing FTE Calculator does arithmetic on the numbers you enter. It does not decide how many staff a unit needs for safe care, does not check any law, ratio rule or union contract, and does not replace your organization's budget process or professional judgment. Not for patient information. See the terms and disclaimer and privacy notice.