Scheduling Systems In Healthcare: Everything You Should Know
byManaging a healthcare facility is no easy task. Handling patient care and meeting staffing needs can be very demanding. But one of the biggest challenges you can face is ensuring scheduling efficiency. Last-minute changes and shift gaps make manual scheduling a nightmare.
Scheduling systems in healthcare can help you improve your capabilities. They’ll also help you meet the needs of your patients. Here’s everything you need to know.
Key takeaways:
- Healthcare scheduling systems reduce scheduling conflicts and gaps
- Facilities struggling with high absenteeism can work well with scheduling software
- Not using scheduling software can lead to operational issues
- The best solutions include features like shift-swapping and real-time labor cost tracking
- When I Work offers an easy-to-use solution that can save healthcare managers up to 15 hours per week
Table of contents
- Scheduling systems for healthcare: Definition and use cases
- 5 signs your facility needs a staff scheduling system
- Consequences of not implementing healthcare staff scheduling software
- Key features to look for when picking a healthcare scheduling system
- Why healthcare facilities choose When I Work as their trusted scheduling system
- Try When I Work to save up to 15 hours per week building the staff schedule
Scheduling systems for healthcare: Definition and use cases
Scheduling systems for healthcare automate the process of making the odd schedules that the healthcare industry often relies on. These platforms help you manage all the different shifts your team works. They also reduce scheduling conflicts and ensure you have enough people at work.
Why do healthcare facilities use staff scheduling software?
Scheduling software allows you to do the following:
- Ease scheduling conflicts
- Ensure adequate shift coverage
- Cut overtime costs
- Automate shift swapping and last-minute changes
- Improve employee satisfaction
- Offer greater flexibility
- Gain real-time labor cost insights
When I Work has helped countless healthcare clients unlock these benefits. Our modern healthcare scheduling platform saves time and promotes workforce optimization.
Do smaller facilities and private practices benefit from scheduling software, too?
Yes! Clinic staff scheduling software can help any healthcare facility. No matter how big or small your practice is, it should be using scheduling software. You’ll save time by building better schedules. You’ll also be able to improve operational efficiency. And that leads to lower labor costs.
5 signs your facility needs a staff scheduling system
Knowing the signs of inefficiencies is the first step toward smoother operations. And smoother operations will make your staff a whole lot happier.
With that in mind, here are some signs that show you need a staff scheduling system:
1. Spending too much time creating the schedule
Healthcare facilities often use rotating schedules. These give employees more days off, but they also take a lot of time to create. If doing so eats up 10 to 15 hours of your week, you’ll have less time for strategic tasks. There is also a greater risk of errors when you do everything by hand.
How a healthcare staff scheduling system can help:
When I Work automates scheduling. In other words, it cuts your scheduling time down from hours to minutes. In fact, When I Work has helped dozens of healthcare clients save up to 15 hours per week. Imagine what you can do with all that extra time!
2. Frequent scheduling conflicts or gaps
Missed shifts leave your remaining employees shorthanded. And overstaffing drives up your labor costs. Both of these errors are bad for business, and the problem lies in manual scheduling. It makes it hard to achieve visibility across shifts and locations. If you keep encountering gaps, it’s time for a tech upgrade.
How a healthcare staff scheduling system can help:
When I Work provides real-time visibility into schedules. At a glance, you can see who is working and when. You can also catch any gaps or double bookings. When I Work even allows shift swapping. It’s a feature that will enable your employees to manage conflicts on their own. You’ll save time, and they will feel empowered: It’s a win-win.
3. High absenteeism
Ask yourself how many people called out last month. If you are building your schedules by hand, it can be tough to track absenteeism. But frequent callouts lead to gaps in service and increased overtime costs. And if they’re left unchecked, they can anger staff and get in the way of patient care.
How a healthcare staff scheduling system can help:
When I Work provides attendance tracking and reporting. You can identify your absenteeism trends and step in to fix the problem.
4. Difficulty managing last-minute shift changes
Callouts and emergencies are unavoidable in healthcare. But scrambling to find replacements can be messy and take way too much time. That often leaves shifts uncovered. And the people who do show up get overloaded with work.
How a healthcare staff scheduling system can help:
When I Work sends open shift notifications to qualified employees via mobile app. That ensures fast response times and enables you to fill gaps with little effort.
5. Lack of visibility into labor forecasting and costs
Manual scheduling provides next to no insight into your labor costs. As a result, budgeting can be awful. And your facility may face overspending and financial strain.
How a healthcare staff scheduling system can help:
When I Work provides real-time labor cost tracking. You can use the feature to adjust your schedules for optimal cost efficiency.
Consequences of not implementing healthcare staff scheduling software
Going without a scheduling system can create big problems for your business. Here are some consequences of not using healthcare staff scheduling software:
Ballooning labor costs
Poor scheduling often results in too much overtime. You are also more likely to face overstaffing or understaffing. And the long-term result is high labor costs. Say a facility plans shifts without scheduling software. It would not be able to account for overtime thresholds. As a result, its employees may end up scheduled for too many hours.
Employee burnout and turnover
Clashing schedules and last-minute changes create stress among your team. Over time, that results in burnout and higher turnover. Burnout is very common among healthcare workers. In 2024, burnout rates ranged from 16% to 86% across various healthcare roles. The mean burnout score was 57.4%.
When I Work provides consistent, predictable schedules. These help prevent burnout and promote a strong work-life balance.
Reduced service quality
Coverage gaps hurt patient care. Take a facility with minimal shift visibility. It may schedule too few nurses during peak hours. The results would be longer patient wait times and overworked nurses.
Operational inefficiencies
Building schedules on your own is a waste of time. You’ll be taking yourself away from higher-value tasks. And over time, that will create bottlenecks in your operations.
Key features to look for when picking a healthcare scheduling system
If you’re sold on the benefits of scheduling systems in healthcare, that’s great! All that’s left to do is choose the right platform for your business. Here are the features to look for in a healthcare scheduling solution:
Ability to track employee hours and overtime
Tracking hours ensures you obey labor laws. It also prevents costly overtime errors. When I Work has a built-in time clock that works with popular payroll platforms. It will lower your manual workload and provide an accurate look at your overtime costs.
Real-time labor cost insights and forecasting
When I Work has a customizable labor cost dashboard. Use it to plan schedules and stay within budget. The platform also highlights projected overtime costs when you build your schedule. Making small changes will help keep costs low.
Shift swapping and open shift notifications
Empower employees to swap shifts or pick up open shifts. When I Work also sends open shift notifications to employees. Suppose that someone calls out, and you remove them from the schedule. When I Work will then auto-notify employees of that vacancy.
Several When I Work healthcare clients have had great success with shift swaps. One client even reported that these features saved them hours of back-and-forth communications.
Scalability across many locations
You need a system that can grow with your team. When I Work is scalable and easy to use. It offers centralized scheduling with location-specific customization. That ensures consistency across all locations and teams.
Why healthcare facilities choose When I Work as their trusted scheduling system
When I Work automatic scheduling software has a variety of tools and features. These all make life easier for healthcare managers and offer the following benefits:
- Automated shift scheduling that reduces errors
- Real-time labor cost tracking
- Employee self-service options for shift swapping
- Multi-location support for centralized scheduling
Ditch your manual scheduling processes by upgrading to When I Work.
Try When I Work to save up to 15 hours per week building the staff schedule
When I Work is one of the top scheduling systems in healthcare. It’s simple to use and packed with tools that’ll make everyone’s lives easier. Its built-in time clock tracks each employee’s hours worked. It also promotes payroll accuracy. The team messaging app keeps everyone in the loop about the latest schedule updates. And customizable templates will help you build better schedules faster.
Manage your workforce and promote employee work-life balance with When I Work. Sign up for a free trial today!
