Does anyone use self scheduling???

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2004

We do self-scheduling where I work, with the understanding that it's not a guarantee you are going to get what you schedule yourself for, and the understanding you work every other weekend. It seems to work for us. I've gotten what I've asked for so far.

PJMommy · Oct 19, 2004

I love self-scheduling for the fact that I feel like I have some control over my own schedule. I tend to like to work several shifts in a row and then have a lot of days off. I can work around my children's events, my husband's Christmas party, my parent's visit, etc. I like it so much that I would not give it up if ever given the choice.

However, there are difficulties with it. The biggest problem is that there are always those nurses who refuse to sign up for their required weekends or refuse to change days in order to acheive core staffing on a certain date. After everyone self-schedules, how to you balance fairly when you have no nurses signed up on Monday but double what you need on Wednesday? And who is going to do this balancing? What do you call a "weekend"? We initially called it Fri/Sat nights for night-shift and Sat/Sun days for day shift -- and then were always short on Sun nights and Friday days, leading to a new rule that you had to work some of these shifts also. We also found it was better for everyone to require a set number of weekend shifts instead of weekends. For example, you might require 4 shifts of either Sat or Sun days (for day shifters) and some may choose to work two full weekends and others may choose to work every Saturday for 4 weeks.

This is how we balance:

First, everyone signs up. Then a list comes out showing which shifts are over core staff and which are under. So we have "move off" shifts and "move on" shifts. This list is out for week and staff are expected to move their schedule to help balance.

Finally, someone takes this and does the final balance. Those who aren't signed up for required weekends are first to be moved. Those who didn't move to help balance are moved first, those who didn't move last schedule are moved second -- and some are just moved randomly to get us balanced. But who is this "someone" who does the final balancing? They will take a lot of heat at times...and better be someone who is fair and unbiased. "Why did you move me to Halloween and not Susie?"

Staff can request off a certain number of shifts a schedule so they aren't the first to be moved to a certain shift. But this request is not a guarantee unless you've requested and received approved vacation.

walnuttree91 · Oct 19, 2004

We use Intragale, a web self-scheduling service, and it is great. You indicate the shifts you want to work. You can indicate specific days you need off and leave a message why you need them off.

harley_fan · Oct 19, 2004

We use self scheduling also. I like it for the most part but it always seems to get switched around. We are required to work certain weekends (depending on shift length). We have a way of requesting certain days off by putting an R in the box. The R can only be used once a week (not always followed!). If I've ever scheduled myself a certain because I was going on vacation I would just email the scheduling committee and let them know so they wouldn't mess with my schedule.

Nurse Ratched, RN · Oct 19, 2004

The NM of my hospital's unit implemented self-scheduling when he realized he didn't have enough staff to cover all the holes. Dumped it on the charge nurses to wrestle with (they were advised they were primarily responsible for insuring staffing was evenly distributed.) I'm afraid it's my only experience with self-scheduling.

KaroSnowQueen, RN · Oct 20, 2004

We do it and it's great. We had a problem with people wanting to work their three 12's in the middle of the week, TWTh, but we've gotten over that for the most part. Now if there aren't enough people on Mondays and Fridays, we get an email to fix it ourselves or don't complain when mgmt does it for us! Usually some of will decide to move over some.

Now they've hired several people and we have been asked to pick set days and just work those particular days every week or two weeks, depending. We have an entire WOW staff, so none of us have to work weekends.

I really really enjoy it.

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Oct 20, 2004

I think it depends on the size of your staff and how many vacancies. Ours works a lot like what I saw another poster describe with folks given the chance to even out the numbers before the scheduler forcibly does it. We also can make notes at the bottom of our page (some breastfeeding moms only like to work one day in a row or it messes them up).

I think the reason ours works so well is because we have such a large staff (I can't remember the exact numbers but we schedule 19-22 RN's a shift) so lots of different schedules folks need. They like me, I like to work every weekend. We do have written requirements for weekends and holidays, but if we cover it then they don't enforce.