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Emergency departments are faced with an inordinate number of challenges. From being understaffed to being overcrowded, the pressure on this particular medical specialty is intense. If you’re tasked with emergency physician scheduling, the difficulties of your job are immense. You need to have the right doctors at the right times to treat a whole host of medical problems. Not only this, but you need to have enough staff scheduled at any one time.
Patient arrivals are often highly variable. Volumes can suddenly fluctuate from hour to hour. Different types of patients with vastly different needs arrive at all times of the day and night. Additionally, there are seasonal changes, such as flu and sporting injuries, to consider.
Generally, you plan coverage and conduct shift scheduling based on average patient volume. This can lead to over coverage on some days and hours, resulting in financial losses. It also leads to under coverage at other times, presenting high walk-out rates and heightened patient risk. Considering this, what is the key to better managing the emergency physician schedule?
Managing the Emergency Physician Schedules
Creating a physician schedule the traditional way takes time and manpower that emergency departments simply cannot afford. With this in mind, many departments are making the move to scheduling software. As technology advances, physician scheduling software is proving to be the best way to create workable schedules that staff can easily access at any time of the day or night.
Utilizing scheduling software helps you save on hours of administrative time. You can easily track call-in admin hours, shifts and overtime. Also, staff are consistently aware of any schedule changes that affect them. You can set the software to send out email and text notifications as well as automatically updating your staff’s personal calendars with any changes to their designated schedules.
Deciding to improve your emergency room scheduling is a commitment both to your staff and to their patients. Proper emergency medicine scheduling ensures the improved care of your patients as staff are better rested and coverage is fairly set out. This results in more motivated physicians and in better use of your department budget.
Using a scheduling tool, physician frustrations are lowered, resulting in higher productivity, better performance and improved staff retention. At the click of a mouse you can rapidly find workable shift scheduling solutions that consider the work preferences of each individual, your department staffing requirements, productivity, financials, and time-off needs.
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