A note on nurse-self-scheduling

Headnote

Executive Summary

> Self-scheduling began in the 1960s and many hospitals have been using it with success.

> Benefits include saving management time, improved morale and professionalism, and cost reduction on matters related to personnel turnover.

> For nursing units experiencing scheduling challenges, self-scheduling may be a solution.

SCHEDULING OF NURSES is a major operational challenge in hospitals. Making a schedule that satisfies staffing needs, individual needs of nurses (for example, not too many weekend or night shifts), and ergonomic criteria is no easy task. Typically, management considers fulfilling staffing needs more important than others and there is a lack of communication between management and nurses concerning scheduling, leading to nurse resentment, burnout, low morale, absenteeism, and turnover.

Since the 1960s, compressed workweeks (for example, 3 and 4-day workweeks) and other workweek arrangements (for example, Baylor Plan, in which working two 12-hour weekend shifts is counted as a full-week work) have been used to accommodate nurses. There has been much success with these arrangements (Hung, 1995). For example, by having a pool of nurses who work exclusively on the weekends, the Baylor Plan helps solve the weekend coverage/absenteeism problem.

A newer scheduling approach, called self-scheduling, in which nurses in a unit work together to construct their schedules for the coming weeks rather than accepting schedules constructed by management, is examined.

Literature

Over 40 articles can be found related to self-- scheduling in health care settings (hospital wards, hospital laboratories, and poison control centers). Locations are in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

The earliest article on self-scheduling was written in 1963 by Jenkinson (1963), who reported its use in St. George's Hospital in London, but the idea did not catch on. Jenkinson was ahead of her time and it was not until in the 1980s that self-scheduling attracted interest. Cooperrider (1980) appears to be the first in recent time to report nurse self-scheduling.

The Self-Scheduling Process

The self-scheduling process is more or less as follows:

1. A large worksheet for the next schedule period, typically 4 to 6 weeks, is posted weeks in advance, with guidelines or requirements (for example, number of weekend shifts one must work, maximum number of consecutive shifts, and a shift's required staff coverage). The worksheet may...