A hospital has 1200 total beds. If 35% of the beds are reserved for intensive care units (ICU), how many beds are non-ICU beds?

Appeared in: NORCET 8 Prelims-2025

Explanation

The question asks for the number of non-ICU beds.
First, determine the percentage of non-ICU beds: 100% - 35% (ICU) = 65% (non-ICU).
Next, calculate 65% of the total 1200 beds.
Calculation: 1200 * 0.65 = 780.
Therefore, there are 780 non-ICU beds.

Option A: This is the number of ICU beds, not non-ICU beds. It is the result of calculating 35% of 1200 (1200 * 0.35 = 420). The question asks for the remaining beds.
Option C: This number (840) is the result of an incorrect calculation. It might arise from mistakenly calculating 70% of 1200 (1200 * 0.70 = 840), perhaps by incorrectly assuming the non-ICU percentage is double the ICU percentage.
Option D: This number (650) is likely a calculation error. While the correct percentage of non-ICU beds is 65%, simply using the number 650 is incorrect. The calculation should be 1200 * 0.65, which equals 780.

Visual 1: Pie Chart - A pie chart showing the hospital bed distribution, with a slice representing 35% for 'ICU Beds (420)' and the remaining larger slice representing 65% for 'Non-ICU Beds (780)'.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Prioritize focused assessment, early escalation, and real-time monitoring when managing Percentage Calculation in acute care settings.
Understanding hospital capacity and bed distribution is crucial for resource management, a key skill for charge nurses and nurse administrators.
During a mass casualty incident or pandemic, knowing the exact number of available non-ICU and ICU beds is critical for patient triage and allocation.
What if? - If the hospital needed to convert 10% of the non-ICU beds into temporary ICU beds, the nurse manager would first need to know the baseline number of non-ICU beds (780) to calculate the number of beds to be converted (780 * 0.10 = 78 beds).

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key numbers and what they represent: Total beds = 1200; ICU bed percentage = 35%.
Next, clearly identify the goal: Find the number of non-ICU beds.
Recognize that 'non-ICU' means 'the rest' or 'the remainder' of the beds.
Formulate a plan: You can either find the number of ICU beds and subtract from the total, or find the percentage of non-ICU beds and calculate that number directly.
Execute the calculation: (100% - 35%) = 65%. Then, 0.65 * 1200 = 780.
Finally, check your answer against the options and ensure you haven't accidentally chosen a partial calculation (like the number of ICU beds).

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Percentage Calculation
Stem keywords: hospital, total beds, 1200, 35%, intensive care units (ICU), non-ICU beds
Lead-in keywords: how many
Clinical cues: The care setting changes urgency, monitoring level, and the expected nursing action.
Negative lead-in flag: false

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