nangemini

Our hospital uses electronic self-scheduling. Several months ago I assumed the responsibility of managing the schedule. There is a 1 week sign-up period during which staff fill out their schedule. Prior to the sign-up period, they electronically submit all vacation requests as well as time off. The requests are then reviewed and approved or denied. We only allow 2 persons to be off at a time. Par levels for staff are set by the computer to balance staffing for each shift. Most of our night staff have chosen to have an automatic recurring schedule that works for them and the unit. If they do not have the required number of hours or weekend shifts the computer will not complete and save their schedule. After sign-up is completed, I review and determine if any manual shifting of staff needs to occur for skill mix, etc. to cover holidays or simply because we are short-staffed. Days that require a call shift or additional staff are posted for PRN's and staff completion. Holidays are team rotation, but we are in the process of exploring other options for holidays and low census rotation. We are open to exploring creative ideas for staffing and scheduling that would increase staff satisfaction.