Shift scheduling software for Emergency Medicine groups

How a month comes together for an emergency medicine group

Take a group of ten emergency physicians. The Emergency Medicine preset starts with two shifts: ED Day, 7a to 7p, with two doctors on it every day, and ED Night, 7p to 7a, with one. That makes 90 shifts in a 30-day month, about nine for each doctor, three of them nights. Each shift carries fairness points: a weekday day shift counts 1, a weekend day 1.5 and a holiday 2, while a night counts 1.5, 2 on a weekend and 2.5 on a holiday, so a Saturday night weighs more than a Tuesday day. Change any of it on Shifts & Rules, or add the lines the preset leaves out, such as a mid shift, a fast track shift for your NPs and PAs, or a second site, each with a tag for who can work it.

Before the month is built, the scheduler opens requests for it with a due date, and everyone with an email address gets a note. Each doctor marks vacation, conference days, and the days they would rather be off or would like to work, from a phone or a laptop. They can also say how much work they want that month: at least eight shifts and at most ten, say, or no more than three nights, or at most two weekends. Vacation and conference days go to the scheduler to approve, and approved time off is never scheduled over. The rest are wishes the schedule meets where it can, and the Preferences met list shows any it could not.

Then click Generate. The preset turns on a 12-hour limit on continuous work, so nobody is put on a day and a night on the same date or on a 7a day the morning after their 7p night, and it spreads each doctor's nights out, preferring at least a week between them. Groups that work nights in runs set the night shift to blocks of three or four days instead, and one doctor takes each run. Rules of your own sit on top, such as keeping a senior partner off nights altogether, each set to Must or Prefer. A Must rule that cannot be met leaves the shift visibly unfilled instead of quietly breaking the rule.

The Report then shows each doctor's shifts, nights, weekend days, holidays and points against a fair share, prorated for anyone part time, for the month or any range of dates you choose. Requests come first, and fairness evens out what is left.

When it looks right, Publish. Everyone sees their shifts on a phone, can subscribe to them in Google Calendar, iPhone or Outlook, and trades shifts in the app with the scheduler giving the final yes. Name each holiday the same way every year, and whoever worked Thanksgiving last year is steered away from it this year. The part that used to take evenings, fitting 90 shifts around everyone's requests, is the part the generator does.

Questions Emergency Medicine groups ask

Can everyone enter requests before the schedule is built?

Yes. Open requests for the month with a due date, and everyone with an email address gets a note. Each doctor marks vacation, conference days, days they would rather be off or would like to work, and how many shifts they want. Email a reminder writes only to whoever has not entered yet, and you can enter requests for anyone who tells you instead.

Can it keep a day shift from following a night shift?

Yes. Set up with the Emergency Medicine preset, the group starts with a 12-hour limit on continuous work, so the generator never puts a doctor on a 7a day the morning after their 7p night, or on a day and a night on the same date. A hand edit or swap that would create that stretch is flagged. The limit sits under Work-hour limits on Shifts & Rules, where you can change the number.

How are nights and weekends kept fair?

Every shift carries points, with nights, weekends and holidays worth more, and each doctor's fair share follows their FTE, so a half-time doctor carries about half the load. Fairness is balanced across the whole year, not one month at a time, and the Report shows each person's nights, weekends and points against their share.

Can physicians, NPs and PAs share one schedule?

Yes. Tags decide who can work which shift. Give NPs and PAs their own tag and a fast track shift that takes it, and physician shifts stay physician-only. Each shift's fair share is worked out among the people who can work it, so nobody is compared with the wrong group.

How do shift swaps work?

A doctor offers a shift from My Schedule to a colleague who can work it, and can ask for one of theirs in exchange. The colleague accepts, then the scheduler approves, and both shifts move and lock. A trade that would double-book someone is flagged before anyone agrees to it.

Can we bring in the schedule we already keep?

Usually. The importer reads a common spreadsheet layout: one sheet per month, shifts down the left, names in the cells. Imported shifts count toward fairness from the first month, and Generate fills only the gaps. If your spreadsheet looks different, generate the month and change the cells you need by hand.