This study examined the Workload Management System for Nurses at a ter
tiary-care Army hospital to determine the incongruence between recomme
nded nursing care hours and actual nursing care hours provided. The pu
rpose of the study was to describe patient care and nursing practice w
hen calculated staff requirements exceed actual staff availability. Th
e findings of the study indicated that basic nursing care tasks were a
ccomplished; however, professional development activities were sacrifi
ced. The data reveal that nurses do not have the time to grow professi
onally through research or education, and they are reduced to assembly
-line mentality as they go from task to task without being able to car
e for a patient as a person.