The charge nurse working the 3 to 11 shift of a 24-bed medical unit in a large acute care hospital is making assignments. Currently, there are 20 clients on the unit and 4 admissions are scheduled to arrive during the shift. Besides the charge nurse, the staff consists of two experienced practical nurses (PN) and one unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) who has worked on the unit for 10 years. Taking into consideration the acuity of each client, which distribution of clients is the best assignment for the nurse to make?
a. Assign 10 clients to each practical nurse (PN), with the charge nurse overseeing the admissions and assisting as needed. The UAP can focus on providing support and assistance to the clients already on the unit.

b. Assign 8 clients to each practical nurse (PN), with the charge nurse overseeing the admissions and assisting as needed. The UAP can focus on providing support and assistance to the clients already on the unit, with additional support from one of the practical nurses.

c. Assign 6 clients to each practical nurse (PN), with the charge nurse overseeing the admissions and assisting as needed. The UAP can focus on providing support and assistance to the clients already on the unit, with additional support from both practical nurses.

d. Assign 5 clients to each practical nurse (PN) and have the charge nurse oversee the admissions and assist as needed. The UAP can focus on providing support and assistance to the clients already on the unit, with additional support from both practical nurses.