Understand your unit’s needs
Before you create a nursing schedule, you need to understand the needs of your unit. This includes the number of patients you have and how many nurses have asked for time off. It’s also important to think about whether there’s anything going on in the facility that could affect staffing levels. For example, if hospital administrators plan to close an inpatient unit for renovations, your unit may have to care for more patients than usual.
One thing that makes creating schedules for nurses so challenging is that it can be difficult to plan ahead when you work in a hospital. If you work in a medical office, you can look at your appointment book and see how many patients you have scheduled each week.
In hospitals, the number of patients can change every day. This is why it’s important to check the census when you arrive at work in the morning and before you leave at night. When you know how many patients are currently admitted to your unit, you can make better decisions.
Determine how many shifts you have to fill
To attract experienced nurses, many facilities offer multiple scheduling options. For example, a hospital may have 8-hour shifts or 12-hour shifts. It’s also common to offer part-time work, per diem shifts and rotating shifts. Instead of scheduling nurses for 21 shifts per week, you may have to fill 30 or more shifts.
Enter requests for time off as soon as you receive them
If you accept verbal requests for time off, consider entering them as soon as you receive them. Otherwise, you may get busy with patient care or administrative tasks and forget about them. It’s also important to have a streamlined process for requesting time off. Last-minute changes cause stress for everyone, so let the nurses on your unit know how far in advance they should submit their time off requests.
Related: How to Create a Paid Time Off Policy
Embrace technology
Scheduling software and other tools make life a lot easier when creating effective schedules for nurses. If you work in a hospital, you may have to use whatever tool is available on your unit, but you should be able to make it work to your advantage. Medical offices and private clinics may offer more flexibility, especially if you’re a practice manager or nursing supervisor.
Once you choose a tool, get to know as much as you can about using it efficiently. Some companies offer in-depth training as part of their customer onboarding processes, while others provide access to a knowledge base full of instructional guides. Either way, take time to learn what features are available and determine if there are any shortcuts to help you save time or reduce the risk of errors.
Related: How to Create an Employee Work Schedule (With Template)
Publish schedules as far in advance as possible
The nursing field often has last-minute schedule changes. You never know when you’ll get a critical patient or have your census increase without much notice. That said, publishing schedules as far in advance as possible is often important.
When nurses have advance notice of their work hours, it’s easier for them to maintain a good work/life balance. Providing a schedule ahead of time helps them avoid guessing when they’ll be free, reducing the risk that someone will tell you they can’t work a scheduled shift because they’ve already made plans.
Use overtime shifts carefully
According to the American Nurses Association, 62% of nurses experience burnout at some point. Assigning some overtime shifts is common, but do your best not to make overtime a central component of your staffing plan. If necessary, talk with human resources about possibly setting up on-call shifts or hiring per diem nurses to fill in as needed. Your state may also have laws limiting the number of hours worked per shift or the number of hours worked in a single week.
Monitor shift swapping
Allowing nurses to swap shifts is a great way to give them some control over their schedules. For example, if one nurse needs time off, they can switch shifts with another nurse instead of requesting the day off. Although allowing shift swaps has some benefits, there are also some potential pitfalls. You may have an experienced nurse swap with someone new to nursing, for example, leaving you with several inexperienced nurses working during the same shift.
If you decide to allow shift swapping, set some ground rules. The first step is to require nurses to let you know if they want to switch. This allows you to determine if the swap might interfere with your staffing plans for that shift.
It’s also important to verify that a shift swap won’t affect your staffing budget or cause you to violate your state’s overtime laws. For example, a highly experienced nurse may make much more per hour than a nurse with just one or two years of experience. Allowing them to trade shifts could cause you to exceed your budget for the week.
Related: How to Cut Down on Employees Trading Shifts
Frequently asked questions about scheduling nurses
Do nurses pick their own schedules?
It all depends on the facility. When a hospital, private practice or outpatient clinic has an opening for a nurse, the recruiter usually advertises a specific shift, such as day shift or evening shift. There may be some flexibility, such as allowing the nurse to choose two days off each week, but employers typically expect nurses to work during specific hours.
How often can nurses take off?
The amount of time off a nurse receives depends on the facility and the type of position they hold. For example, a per diem nurse may work just one day per week, leaving them with six days per week to do other activities. Many facilities also grant time off based on how long a nurse has been employed. For example, a nurse with 20 years of experience working in the same hospital may have more time off than a new grad nurse.
Do nurses work three days in a row?
Full-time nurses generally work at least three days in a row. In private practices and outpatient clinics, it’s typical to work every weekday and have time off on weekends. Hospital schedules are a bit more unpredictable, but it’s common for nurses to work three days in a row most weeks.
