Day types

The Day Types are used to inform the Scheduler about which shifts are normally scheduled on which days of the week. What day of the week are your shifts used? You can access the Day types from the 'Scheduler' tab by selecting 'Day types' from the top menu.

Definition: Day Type is the general name for a category of days (e.g., Weekday, Weekend, Holiday, Friday) all of which have the same scheduled shifts.

A maximum of thirty Day types can be created.

1. Add Day Type: To create a new Day Type, click the 'Add Day Type' button within the menu. The 'Day type' window will display and here you can start entering in your information. A single 'Day Type' assigned the name All Days is created by default.

2. Day Type Name: This is used as a label. You can keep the All Days name or rename it to whatever you want. The asterisk indicates that it's a required field.

Example: Weekend, Weekday, Holiday, All Days, Tues-Thurs, and Fri-Mon

3. Days Used: This indicates the days of the week that the 'Day Type' is usually used. This field contains a series of check boxes labeled Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat, comprising the first three letters of each of the names of the seven days of the week. The days of the week that each 'Day Type' is usually used are selected by clicking on the check box representing that day of the week.

Example: A Sat-Sun Day Type, normally used on Saturdays and Sundays, should be defined to have Sunday and Saturday displayed in the Days Used area.

All of the days of the week are initially assigned to the All Days 'Day Type' automatically created by default the first time you enter the 'Day Types' screen.

Example: A Sat-Sun or Weekend 'Day Type' would normally be used on Saturday and Sunday, a Mon-Fri or Weekday 'Day Type' on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

4. Shifts Used: All of the active shifts will be listed next to a check box. Here you can choose which shifts are associated with which 'Days Used'. Displayed the names of the shifts that are used in each 'Day Type'. A maximum of 64 shifts can be assigned to each 'Day Type' (representing all of the 64 shifts that can be scheduled by the Scheduler, and the 64 shifts maximum that can be scheduled in a day). The order in which the shifts are listed is determined by the order in which you have arranged them in the 'Manage Shifts' screen. Plus, you need to at least add 1 shift.

5. Edit Day Type: Select a 'Day Type' then click the 'Edit Day Type' button in the top menu. The 'Day type' window will open and here you can make your edits to the 'Name', 'Days Used', and 'Shifts Used'.

6. Delete Day Type: Click a 'Day Type' then select the 'Delete Day Type' button. You'll be prompted with a message, 'Are you sure you want to delete the selected item?'.

Many emergency departments schedule different numbers and types of shifts for different days of the week. For example, a certain set of shifts may be used on weekends and a different set on weekdays, or perhaps one daily schedule of shifts is used on Friday through Monday but different shifts on Tuesday through Thursday. These varying daily schedules are usually used on different types of days (referred to from now on as 'Day Types') to allow daily provider coverage to match expected variations in patient volume or scheduling preferences.

Some emergency departments use the same shifts every day of the week and will require only one 'Day Type'. Others have multiple combinations of shifts used on different days. The 'Day Types' screen allows you to create as many as thirty different 'Day Types'. Additionally, from the 'Scheduler' tab, you can add or remove individual shifts from scheduled days, allowing nearly an unlimited number of ways of combining your shifts.
Do you remember making entries in the 'Weekend if on Friday, Weekend if on Saturday, Weekend if on Sunday' areas when you created your shifts? Only shifts you indicated should be counted as weekend shifts when worked on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be counted as weekend shifts. If you create a Day Type named Weekend, normally used on Saturday and Sunday, but decide to use those shifts on a Tuesday, it does not mean that shifts worked on Tue.

A common source of confusion: The names you assign to Day Types are for your convenience only. Using the Weekend Day Type on Thursday does not mean that the scheduled shifts will now be counted as weekend shifts in your schedule summaries. Weekend summary categories only count shifts defined as weekend shifts in the Weekend if on Friday, Weekend if on Saturday, Weekend if on Sundayselections in the 'Manage Shifts' screen.

The Scheduler requires that All Days of the week must be assigned to a Day Type at all times. If you change the name of the initially created All Days Day Type to Sat-Sun, the Days Used will indicate [ Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat ] (all days of the week selected.) You will have to un-check the weekdays [ Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri (only Saturday and Sunday will be selected), because the weekdays would then not be assigned to any Day Type. This problem resolves when you create a Mon-Fri Day Type which uses the weekdays [ Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri ].

Note: 'Day Types' can be created for days of the week that have 'No Shifts' associated with them.

Example: If January 1st falls on a Tuesday but is usually a busy day for your department, you may want to change the January 1st shifts to those of the Sat-Sun 'Day Type' to obtain added coverage.

Example: You could create and select other shifts for a holiday Day Type, which has no days selected in the 'Days Used'. The holiday Day Type will not initially be used for any days in a schedule, but any day can be changed to use the 'Day type' when needed for specific holidays.

Order the 'Day Types' in any grouping using the drag and drop feature. Click on the dots listed next to 'Day Type' name to drag and drop in priority.

In tables that contain shifts, the short name for the shift is available as a tooltip.