How To Reduce Time Spent On Nurse Scheduling

August 13, 2019

Nursing managers spend hours upon hours working to craft a successful schedule. That is time spent away from patient care and other duties where these supervisors are really needed. And just when you think the schedule is set, a conflict or call off comes in to torpedo the schedule that has already taken up so much time to create. If this is happening to you, take a breath.

There are steps you can take to reduce time spent on nurse scheduling.

Schedule Far in Advance

Completing schedules early will reduce stress and tension. It will also save you from spending even more time later when you’re filling shifts and fixing conflicts created by last-minute schedule postings. Completing your nurse scheduling well in advance may seem like a big chore, but it will pay off in the long run. It gives nurses the time they need to schedule personal business and plan their life around work. This will reduce absences and absence requests by providing employees more time to prepare and swap shifts. Prepare schedules six weeks out or build a timetable configurable to your scheduling period.

Self-Scheduling

Utilizing a method of self-scheduling is a great way to take part of the workload off of you and save time. Push the schedule back on staff. They can see what shifts need to be filled and can take them according to their own availability and credentials. They can also do their own swaps and trades, and the self-scheduling software will keep track of it all with timestamps so there is documentation and accountability. In addition, the schedule is always updated in real-time. Plus, everyone has access to the schedule 24/7. Everyone will have the ability to see the schedule online so your staff members always know when they are working.

Utilize Automation

Paper and pencil, Google sheets, and a daily planner just don’t cut it. You need a scheduling software that will work with you to help you create your schedule. A rule-based nurse scheduling software program like Schedule360 will streamline the process by keeping all schedule-related information in one place and automatically generating your schedule based on parameters you input. See one of the best benefits of nurse scheduling software. Stop copy and pasting, and let self-scheduling software do the work for you.

Real-Time Reporting

It is no secret that things are always changing when you work in healthcare. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of everyone and everything. Nurse scheduling software can give you real-time information at a glance. You can see your employee’s productivity, holes in the schedule, and available staff. You can plug staff members that aren’t optimized into open shifts.

Keep Better Track of Time Off Requests

Nothing can complicate nurse scheduling more than loosing track of requests for days off. It is best to keep vacation approvals online, not on paper. Online time off requests and approvals can be integrated into the schedule seamlessly using scheduling software. If a request is approved, the scheduling program will know the employee isn’t available to work that shift. You will be able to identify that open need quickly and get it filled.

Transparency

Chances are you hear a lot of complaints about the schedule. People will always complain about something if they don’t know exactly how it works. There shouldn’t be any mystery to how you schedule your team. There is a big problem when the schedule is put out, then taken down and updated, then put back out just to have more changes made to it again. Your staff doesn’t know what the schedule looks like. Employing nurse scheduling software can make the updating process much smoother. It allows you to automate the process of publishing and unpublishing the schedule.

All of these time-saving measures can be accomplished with the award-winning nurse scheduling software by Schedule360. It is affordable and easy to use. And it comes with free setup, free training, and free 24/7 technical support. Contact Schedule360 today to see how we can save you time on your nurse scheduling.