Insufficient nurse staffing ratios have led to a variety of problems and concerns within acute care hospital settings. Issues that can arise are things such as: increase in nurse turnover rates and burnout as well as an increase in patient safety concerns and dissatisfaction. Quality patient care is directly affected when units are inadequately staff and nurses are unable to provide the care patients expect and deserve. The nursing profession suffers due to unsafe staffing levels as it contributes to an increase in 'never events' occurring which are non-reimbursable and costly for hospitals. A multitude of studies have been conducted that support the magnitude of safe nursepatient ratios. Needleman and others (2011), collected data from hospital-level administration and found a positive correlation between lower levels of nurse staffing and an increase in patient mortality rate. This observational study reinforces the need to adequately staff units based on patients' individual needs. The nursing profession involves critical thinking where a variety of factors must be taken into close consideration. Safe and proper staffing of an acute hospital unit includes paying close attention to patient acuity, census, unit layout, ancillary staff available, and the experience of the nurses on staff (American Nurse Association, 2013). The projected change emphases safer staffing ratios based on patient acuity and daily census. There are multiple variables that need to be taken into consideration when properly staffing a unit. In the nursing world every day is different and each patient has their own specific requirements to their care. The American Nurses Association advocates for safe nurse staffing ratios and supports the Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act. The Act validates the importance of safe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and supports the substantial evidence that suggests that increasing the amount of RNs working on a unit can save a facility as much as 3 billion dollars. They have determined that there are staffing strategies that have reduced costs, decreased adverse events from occurring, and improved patient outcomes by implementing the evidenced-based practices in their facilities. There is software now available that aids in the management of scheduling based on census and acuity, productivity, and workload. This special software helps administration visualize adjustments needed in staffing, correlation between budget and staffing, and prepares upper management with applicable hours-per-patient-day objectives based on real census information.