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Physician scheduling and emergency medicine scheduling is always a tricky business. You need to have adequate shift coverage to meet the needs of patients at all times. At the same time, emergencies happen – even to dedicated doctors.
When life’s medical emergencies occur, on call scheduling software, when used well, can save the day and ensure that the staffing needs of your medical facility are met. That’s why it’s so important to use on call scheduling software.
On Call Scheduling – Common Problems
Consistency is perhaps the most common problem associated with on call scheduling in medical facilities everywhere. Despite your best efforts to create a full, well-rounded schedule, if you don’t make use of some system for on call scheduling, you may find a great deal of resentment building up among your medical staff members.
Don’t forget about these key benefits your practice can derive when you use on call scheduling software to handle the finer points of scheduling on call physicians.
Provides Transparency. It’s important to provide a consistent, visible on call staffing rotation so that your professionals know when they are on call. The visible nature of the on call schedule lets them see that they are not being singled out unfairly to cover holiday shifts.
Avoids Assumptions. Documenting the on call calendar for all to see avoids any assumptions about who should be prepared to cover what shift. You must be consistent in your on call scheduling. Otherwise your staff assumes there is no schedule and doesn’t bother to look for it. Worse, no one knows who to call when on call physicians are needed. When you use scheduling software to handle the work for you, no assumptions are necessary. It’s all there in black and white – even the names of the appropriate people to notify in on call situations.
Improves Efficiency. Efficiency is one characteristic medical centers cannot afford to function without. The more efficiently a facility operates the better patient care it provides for a lower amount of money. It also makes employees happier. Everybody wins when efficiency is high.
Creates Continuity. Using the same scheduling software to schedule your medical staff and on call staff provides continuity so that everyone knows his or her role and responsibilities. The schedule for on call professionals will work the same as normal duty professionals along with notifications and calendar synchronizations.
Instantly Updates Changes. This is the biggest news for hospitals and medical facilities that use on call scheduling software. Whenever changes are made, the software updates instantly to reflect those changes. The person affected by those changes is notified instantly, via message sent from the schedule itself.
Ultimately, when you put on call scheduling software to work for your facilities on call or shift scheduling needs, you’re helping to improve the work-life balance of on call staff members, ensuring patients get the treatment and medical supervision they so sorely need, and that your facility is operating at a higher level of efficiency than without it. You can’t ask for much more from a staffing schedule or the software used to create those schedules.
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