Scheduling for ER Nurses

Trauma Columnist · Sep 29, 2004

In our level one ER (60K visits/year), night shift does their own scheduling, the rest have the unit manager do it. Works fine for us.

mommatrauma, RN · Mar 6, 2005

We are a level 1 that sees 65-67k/year...we self schedule...every month you pick up a calandar...you fill it out with your preferences...with some guidelines, ie...you must work x number of mondays and fridays and we work every third weekend...we then hand our schedule in by a dead line and there is a small scheduling committee of about 6 people that plug it all in together and make it work...if you don't hand in your schedule...shame on ya...you will next time, cause you get stuck with what is left...It works well for us, and less arguments about who works what days...we also have assigned holidays...so there is no question which ones you work each year and i can tell you in 2020 what holidays i'll be working...so it makes good for making plans and trying to do switches way in advance...

ERNurse752, RN · Mar 6, 2005

I would loooooooooooooooooooove to have self-scheduling, for all the reasons that mommatrauma listed! :)

errn7 · Mar 6, 2005

WOW assigned holidays.....and every third weekend....what a dream.

My local hospital is small compared to the ones above. We see 35/40k per year in a 13 bed ER. We have 4 7/7p nurses 2 11/11p nurses and 3 7/7a nurses with one clerk and sometimes a 7/3a nurse......We work 80hrs in two weeks, every other weekend off.. If a holiday hits on your day off...your lucky if not your in hades because all of the MD's offices are closed for at least 3 days by now and the ER is packed. Every ones schedule is the same in that you know for the most part which days you are off and which days you work from month to month and you can plan accordingly...I worked for a place that did self scheduling and it was difficult to get into a regular days on/off schedule.

needsmore$ · Mar 6, 2005

we also do self scheduling- holidays assigned. we have some ft nurses who work eow- 80 hrs/pay and other ft who work every third weekend 72 hrs/pay period. they both get ft benefits. we also have combos of 8hr/12 hr shifts.

weekends and shift times are assigned when you are hired( if you're were hired for day shift, you are still day shift), but on the schedule calender you fill in what days you want to work. you have to make sure you put yourself down for the correct amt of hours you are supposed to be.

we love it. the casual or pool group submit availability and shift calenders. they are put in the open spots. i have almost always been able to work what i put down (ft). works great if you have school kids- i have a copy of my school district calender to use as well.

anne

flaerman · Mar 6, 2005

Our ER is not a trauma center at all and we still see well over 60,000 visits/yr,

but we have now & always have done self-scheduling. Our current director has the leadership team doing the schedule ask the nurses to move their days if overstaffed one place and understaffed another. For over a year and a half under a different manager I did all scheduling for the entire dept, fast-track and CDU for both shifts and I moved people to where they were needed. my rule of thumb was if you needed specific days off(child care etc) then I the staff email me prior to picking up the schedule, it was rarely an issue or problem. Now the day and night leadership people(PSL's) do their own shift, ask staff to move, and still more trouble staffing their shifts than when I did the whole dept, and whine more about doing it(LOL). It's a headache I don't miss at all, not to mention I have gone back to staff position and enjoy my job more. We also have nurses now working other shifts as well(1p-1A, 3P-3A) and even 11-7 which helps out too. Paul

Peg804 · Mar 8, 2005

I work 4 10 hr shifts- 3-1 or 1-11 or some variation. all out 1 second shift nurses do. We have 12 hr weekenders work sat and sun 12 hrs and then 1 8 hrs shift during week you are ft, work 12- 10 4 days a week or 12 - 10. or maybe 10p to 8 a,. maybe 9 p until 7 a. We have a ton of options. you know what no one cares what hour you work-as long as there is a body ther.. I wonder if you signed up for 24 hrs if anyone would notice/ Probably not Please forgive spelling and stuff-20 hrs in ED and 6 on medic unit-do not know where I am right know-but I am in the hospital where am I supposed to be

PennyLane, RN · Mar 8, 2005

We do self-scheduling. It's one of the reasons I wanted this job. We work every 3rd weekend and every other holiday, switching from year to year. If you work Thanksgiving, you won't work Christmas and vice versa. We have to work 2 Mondays or Fridays in a 2 week period. And you only work the shift you were hired for (7a-7p, 11a-11p, 7p-7a, and the odd 9-5er). We pencil in the days we want to work ahead of time, and people usually get what they want.

ERNurse678 · Mar 10, 2005

I work 3 12 hour shifts. Work the same days every two weeks. Everyone has a set schedule. I love it. I know what I am working 2 years from now. Most of us do every other weekend. There are a few schedules with no weekends, but they are not really popular due to the great shift/weekend differential we get. This works great for planning vacations and time off

no er holds · Mar 10, 2005

I work in a Trauma Center in a catchment area. Blank schedules come out every 4 weeks...you fill it in, usually get what you want or negotiate with others on the same shift for different days off. I work Sun, Mon, Tues and am off the rest of the week...love it!

gamegirlkimmy · Mar 10, 2005

My ER has what I consider to be a huge number of new graduate RNs. If self scheduling were done my fear would be that there wouldn't be enough seasoned nurses to support all the new grads. Union contracts here in California, (CNA) for RNs, could also be an issue. Anyone with the same concerns in balancing skill levels?