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Staff scheduling mistakes are inevitable because you have so many schedules to manage. However, using the right tools can dramatically reduce (or even eliminate) errors from the scheduling process. Poor physician scheduling can have a negative effect on physicians and lead to unpleasant patient experiences.
What is a shift schedule?
A shift schedule is a fundamental aspect of modern workforce management that helps manage and improve the operational efficiency of an organization.
Shift scheduling, in turn, involves creating and maintaining these work schedules to manage resources better, improve efficiency, improve customer service, and increase profits.
Below are some emergency medicine scheduling mistakes to avoid:
1. Schedule without double verification
You may think this is a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised how often scheduling managers don't double-check schedules, leading to mishaps. It's easy to get confused when setting the doctor's schedule. You can schedule a doctor who is already off-license, resulting in understaffing. Checking the schedule will help you catch any errors and give you the opportunity to correct them.
2. Adopting a “one-way” approach
There is not always a one-size-fits-all procedure. So, when creating your emergency medicine scheduling system, you will need a combination of shift types. You need to balance the amount of flexibility your emergency department requires with what your employees need. Therefore, it is a good idea to have a system with a wide range of shift solutions.
3. No contingency plan
You will have employees who will take vacations, report sick, resign, or change their availability throughout the year. Some physicians totally forget their schedules for the day. You want to have some kind of contingency plan, so that you can cover these last-minute changes.
4. Repeated requests for “loss” of time off
You are human, and things tend to get lost. However, your employees value their time away from work, but when they request a day off, and it is mistakenly scheduled, it can frustrate them. Although your employees should understand that their requests for time off are not always guaranteed, it is always a good idea to do your best to accommodate the requested time off.
5. Not Using Emergency Medicine Scheduling Software
Relying on pen and paper or antiquated spreadsheets instead of using advanced software with robust features like the emergency medicine scheduling software can have negative consequences on the scheduling system of an organization. Therefore, it is important to consider using shift scheduling software which makes it easy for you to evaluate the entire week and minimizes the chance of making a mistake in the doctor's schedule.
This software automatically sends alerts to your employees if there are changes to the schedule. You are alerted if doctors request changes to hours, employee availability, and more. It also makes it easy for your doctors to exchange schedules through an online portal without you having to log in and make the changes.
To effectively avoid the above mistakes, you can choose to communicate with one or all of your employees simultaneously. Your employees will be notified by email or push notifications when their schedules are posted or when you post a message.
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