Common Staffing Models

Hospital scheduling is dynamic and changes to meet the organization’s needs and staff preferences. It is not uncommon for staffing models to change on units, for units to use a hybrid scheduling model, or for different categories of staff within one unit to use different staffing models. These models may be introduced by management with little staff input or may be proposed and voted on by staff.  Below, you will see a brief explanation of the most common staffing models used in hospitals (Ontario Nurses Association and Grand River Hospital Corporation, 2023).

8-Hour (Normal Shift) Model (7.5 paid hours)

• Staff works 7.5-hour days, evenings and/or night shifts.
• Traditional rotation of 7 days on, 3 days off, 2 days on, 2 days off.

12-Hour (Extended Shift) Models (11.25 paid hours)

• Traditional 11.25 Hour Scheduling Model:
  • Staff works 12-hour day and night shifts with a rotation of 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off.
  • This results in a 1 week break every 6 weeks.
• 4 On 5 Off:
  • Staff works 12-hour day and night shifts with a rotation of 4 shifts on and 5 shifts off.

10-Hour Schedule Model (9.375 paid hours)

• Staff works a combination of 10-hour shifts, with no more than 4 shifts in a row.

Hybrid Schedule Model

• The hybrid schedule results in an employee working a combination of 8-hour or normal shifts, 10-hour shifts, and 12-hour or extended shifts, within the scheduling period.

Less Than 7.5 Hours

• In some areas, it may be necessary to schedule staff for less than an 8-hour shift, for example, 6-hour or 4-hour shifts for meal coverage or break coverage. Short shifts are typically only assigned to part-time and/or casual part-time employees and do not include an unpaid break period.

On-Call/Standby

• In addition to regular shifts, full-time, part-time, and casual part-time employees may be scheduled to be “on-call” during off periods, such as evenings or weekends, in areas such as the operating room.
• The staff who is on-call must be available to attend work within a certain period while on-call.
• The on-call employee is typically paid a stipend for every hour that they are on call, plus a guaranteed minimum of time paid at 1.5 times their hourly wage if called in.

References

Ontario Nurses Association and Grand River Hospital Corporation. (2023). Local appendices to the collective agreement: April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2023.