Scheduling Woes

[deleern]

My question is do your facilities use scheduling software. has any one tried web based software?

I am not a DON or a ADON But I thought this would be the best place to post this, I have been doing the Nursing schedule since March of this year, I schedule all the nursing staff, about 120 people. RN, LPN, TMA, and NAR's.

I am a Charge RN, the schedule Consumes so much of my day, as I am sure you are aware. I use an Excel at this time it is just a basic program. any suggestions would be helpful

[oramar]

Long time ago people who did schedule got a paid day at home to work on it. Anyone who does the schedule knows why. Seems institutions are to cheap to pay for that now days.

[deleern]

I would love to do it at home. But they do not want to do that. I have 1 day aweek set aside for scheduling, that is well and good.... but they do not hesitate to pull me to do admits or to the floor. But they expect the schedule to magically appear....LOL

[nurturing_angel]

I used to be the night shift supervisor and one of my jobs was to do the schedule for all nurses and techs. What a pain in the patootie! On schedule night, someone would ALWAYS call in and I would have to be pulled out of the office. But even worse than that, I always asked for "requests off" weeks before schedule night and for the last few nights before I was due to turn the schedule in. No one had any requests until the schedule was finished and in the staff binder. Then the requests would come pouring in. Uggghh! I finally decided to just deny the requests unless they could find their own replacement. I am glad that is no longer part of my job description.

:typing

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

You could try a google search for a scheduling program. I know there are several out there. We use an excel spread sheet but mostly plug the people in by hand (by finger? type them in)

[flashpoint]

When I was the scheduler, I built an Excel program that calculated hours for each person and calculated the number of people scheduled for each shift. If I had it on this computer, I would send it to you.

The biggest problem I had was people who wanted to work forty hours a week and have two days off at a time and never more than three in a row and have every other weekend off...LOL. I also had two nurses who worked opposite each other (nurses work 12 hours shift, aides work 8) and one wanted at least three days off at a time and the other had a bad knee which caused her too much pain if she did more than two days at a time. I made a form to request days off and everyone was told if they didn't use the form, the request would be ignored (the DON's rule, not mine) and I still got tons of requests just told to me in the hall as I walked by or text messaged to my phone...I tried to accomodate requests no matter what. I am so glad I don't do the schedule anymore (even though the person who does it now has made a mess of it).