4 Ways Nurse Scheduler Communication Leads to Better Nurse Scheduling
June 7, 2019
No matter the workplace, the job of employee scheduling is no easy task. Trying to meet every employee’s expectations and needs and align them with the changing scheduling needs and requirements for every shift can be a daunting task.
This is true even for the best schedulers around. Nursing schedulers are no exception. Trying to create full, properly staffed schedules for multiple shifts, 24/7, requires great time and effort.
Luckily, with effective communication, nurse scheduling doesn’t have to be an impossible task week after week. An online nurse scheduling software program can help improve communication between schedulers and nurses and increase job productivity along the way.
How Nurse Scheduling Software Can Lead to Better Nurse Scheduling
1. Improved Communication
A nurse scheduler who’s responsible for scheduling 24/7 nursing shifts understands the difficulty of effectively filling the schedule. Finding qualified, available personnel to fill shift openings can be time consuming and exhausting. However, online scheduling software can help simplify the process.
Message boards clearly communicate schedule changes, approved time off/overtime, or floating schedule alerts. Easy to use employee scheduling software allows for nurses to easily switch shifts with other qualified personnel, all under the defined parameters set by management. An employee scheduling software also allows the nurse scheduler to easily communicate with specified staff members via cell phone, email, or pager to share pertinent information quickly and efficiently.
2. Improved Job Performance for Nurse Scheduler
Nurses wear multiple hats, and rarely find down-time throughout a shift. It’s no different for nurse schedulers. Employee scheduling software can minimize the stress and challenges that come with 24/7 shift scheduling. When last minute scheduling changes arise, a web-based schedule will show which qualified nurses are available to meet staffing needs and allow for quick and easy communication with everyone.
The days of spending critical work hours making unanswered phone calls trying to fill shift openings will be significantly reduced. Employee scheduling software also allows nurse schedulers to preset parameters to guard against unnecessary overtime or over-scheduling. If a particular nurse has already worked to their capacity for a pay period, they won’t appear among the list of available nurses for a particular shift. This function is extremely valuable to schedulers to be able to see those nurses who haven’t met minimum work hours for the pay period.
3. Increased Employee Accountability
If you’re responsible for shift scheduling, you’ve likely experienced the frustration of playing phone tag with your staff, never fully knowing if they actually receive your messages, or the struggle of constant miscommunication. Employee scheduling software can help with this.
Through message boards and employee portals, a nurse scheduler can see whenever their communications have been received. When nurses open the message, they check a box to document and time stamp when they have seen the communication. This allows the nurse scheduler to see which nurses have read the message, and which ones have not.
Nursing scheduling software also allows every nurse to view schedule changes or updates, and see which nurses might be available for shift swaps. It gives each nurse the ability to be responsible for finding their own replacement when needed. The schedules are easily accessible on any computer, tablet, or mobile device, so streamlined work communication is literally at their fingertips.
4. Improved Schedule Organization and Minimized Nurse Burnout With Fair and Equitable Mandatory Overtime When Required
There is a nursing shortage in medical facilities across the country; a fact that is known nationwide. This can unfortunately lead to overworked nurses who are tired while on the job. This is not a good combination for patients, nurses, or administrators. Nurse schedulers who use nurse scheduling software are able to better organize all available personnel schedules and view the availability of every nurse on staff.
We all know that nurses have personal lives – families, hobbies, schooling, second jobs, etc.- and aren’t always available for every shift that opens up during their scheduled time off. This system helps schedulers organize all of this information effectively and easily to allow for optimal scheduling each and every time. When nurses feel appreciated, valued, and cared for, their quality of work improves and patient satisfaction increases. Now that’s a win-win for everybody!
Schedule360® has an established history of helping our clients improve their scheduling performance with ease and efficiency and can help you streamline every aspect of your scheduling for optimal productivity. Contact us today to learn about our configured options and how they can best for work you.
