self scheduling

[paedinurse]

I work in a smaller community hospital, where paeds, NICU, OBS, L&D are all schedualed together, We are looking at other ways to schedule 12 hour shifts. currently we do MT-FSS-WT 2 weeks nights and 2 weeks days, I am wondering how other floors work 12's?

And if anyone does Day,day,night,night? Do you like it?

I would also like some opinons on self scheduling.....policies, rules.....

Thank you in advance

Amanda

[Mimi2RN, ASN, RN]

I used to alternate days and nights, MTW days, SSuM nights, off from Monday am to Monday am. I liked it, but its not for everyone.

At this hospital, we fill out a tentative schedule, the supervisor fine tunes it, gives it to the dept head. If we are lucky, we get what we wanted. Also we have to schedule 5-6 weekend shifts.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

Self-scheduling can be a real nightmare. Staff mix (junior/senior) and other specialty coverage can create huge headaches for the person administering this. Oh, and vacation planning is unbelievably complicated. We self-schedule, sort of. We put down what we want to work, the committee counts up the overs and unders, we all negotiate (move ourselves from over shifts to under shifts), the committee looks at it again and moves people around to cover the remaining gaps then it all goes to the manager for approval. I always end up with something completely different from what I started with and we still end up short on lots of shifts and way over on others. I'm considering going back to a rotation.

[Nesher, BSN, RN]

We do something like the janfrn describes. Our whole unit works 12 hour shifts so that helps. Everyone puts in what they want. The numbers are counted with the actual numbers vs. needed numbers for each day spelled out. Then everyone looks again to make changes and to try and make the numbers match. Once again the numbers are counted and we go through the process again. The entire project takes sveral weeks - as in we are always working on one. The assistant nurse manager does the final tweaking to make things work - so something you don't get what you asked for. We are also allowed for "R's" ( for requests) in one 28 day schedule. These can't be moved by the asst. nm. Vacations are a different story

[KimberRN1]

We started self scheduling a few months ago and it's worked out pretty good......of course our every other weekend is already predetermined...and what shift you're on... then we just right in the days we want to work.... sometimes you get everything...other months you don't.... I agree that if everyone was made to work 12hr shifts scheduling would be ten times easier...but we only have 12s on weekends...

[paedinurse]

Tahnk you to everyone who replied. When you do rotation, what is your set rotation???