Every day, healthcare facilities rely on staff members to efficiently and effectively provide the often life-dependent care patients deserve and expect. Managers in the healthcare industry, however, understand that ensuring the right people are in the appropriate place at the correct time can be challenging. Here are six reasons healthcare facilities are turning to nurse and staff scheduling software to help managers stay on top of scheduling.
1. Free up managers' time
Healthcare managers already have a lot on their plates and creating weekly or monthly schedules can be time intensive - especially when the facility uses paper schedules or spreadsheets. Nurse scheduling software allows managers to assign shifts in just seconds make schedule changes anytime from anywhere.
2. Gain access to real-time schedules
When schedules are posted onsite, nurses can only view them when they are at work. Online employee scheduling systems allows staff and managers to see up-to-the-minute schedules anytime, anywhere. Employees always know when and where they work, and managers have peace of mind knowing everyone has the most current schedule information.
3. Ensure proper staffing
Whether the facility staffs nurses based on shift requirements, census count or by patient acuity, healthcare managers must ensure staffing levels are met according to their facility's unique criteria. Employee scheduling software takes manually performing staffing calculations off nurse managers. This increases productivity and ensures proper staffing levels and accurate nurse-to-patient ratios.
4. Manage multiple locations and departments
Staff scheduling software allows nurse managers to create schedules for numerous departments and provides visibility of multiple schedules across an entire organization. This safeguards against double booking or improperly scheduling nurses who work in multiple departments or locations.
5. Improve communication
Staff scheduling software allows managers to instantly communicate with staff via email and text message. This helps managers alert staff of schedule changes as well as fill open shifts fast. Software that lets managers send messages to a select group of qualified and available employees safeguards against non-compliance by ensuring every department is staffed with properly trained and qualified personnel.
6. Maintain Compliance
Tracking skills, training, and certifications is necessary for maintaining appropriate staffing levels. Software with the capability to assign these qualifications to each nurse helps ensure the correct number of qualified nurses are scheduled in the appropriate departments. For added security, some software sends alerts when certifications are nearing expiration or when employees are due for additional training.
Finding the scheduling program that best meets their facility's staffing demands helps managers ensure every shift is properly covered and each employee has the most current schedule information. Additionally, it can cut the time managers spend on scheduling by up to 75% - that's a sound investment for any healthcare facility.
Learn how ScheduleAnywhere nurse scheduling software meets healthcare facilities' unique staff scheduling requirements.
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