Introduction to Staff Scheduling

Hospital staffing can be a very complicated but vital task. Understaffing can lead to chaotic days, burnout, treatment delays, increase in medical errors, and high staff turnover (FloatCare, 2023). Yet, overstaffing can lead to inflated budgets, cutbacks, and lack of staff available for other shifts.

Every hospital takes their own approach to administering the staff scheduling process. These approaches may include centralized, decentralized, or hybrid staffing.

Centralized Staffing

All staffing and scheduling for the hospital is administered through one central scheduling department. Within the department, scheduling staff/clerks may be assigned to staff-specific units, and they work closely with these unit managers to develop staffing plans for the unit.

Decentralized Staffing

Each unit administers its own staffing and scheduling processes under the direction of its unit manager. In this case, the clerical staff manage the staffing process for all nursing staff, clerical staff, and support staff, such as PSWs, unit assistants, or environmental support personnel on their unit.

Hybrid Staffing

Some aspects of staffing are managed by a centralized office, while others are managed at the unit level. For example, a centralized office creates unit schedules, but the individual unit handles all staff additions and cancellations for the unit staff.

Regardless of the method of staffing and scheduling used in a hospital, it is important for clerical staff to understand the basics of this process, as they will be involved in it at some level in their day-to-day role.

References

FloatCare. (2023, January 17). How to manage staff scheduling in healthcare.