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More than half of all hospitalists work 7-on/7-off shifts, in which they work 7 days and then enjoy a week off. The 7-on/7-off has been the mainstay for hospitalists since the specialty was founded.But 7-on/7-off isn’t the only option anymore; there are now several hospitalist schedules to choose from. As hospitalists begin to embrace these new scheduling options, shift scheduling software must be versatile and robust enough to accommodate them.
Types of Hospitalist Shifts
Shift-based scheduling
Shift-based scheduling organizes work hours into specific blocks, or shifts, to cover days or weeks. These schedules start and end at set times. 7-on/7-off is a type of shift-based scheduling. It is often paired with 12-hour shifts.
While popular, 7-on/7off has its share of problems. Even the “father of the hospitalist movement,” Dr. Robert Wachter, thinks 7-on/7-off should be re-imagined. At a recent Society of Hospital Medicine’s annual conference, Wachter said that the model is “fine for a 35-year-old, but not so doable for a 55-year-old.”
Perhaps surprisingly, 7-on/7-off is the least favorite among hospitalist groups, and especially among hospitalists who have been in the specialty for a while. Still, 7-on/7-off and other shift-based scheduling approaches are common. Why? Because they have been around for about as long as hospital medicine has been a specialty, and creating shift-based schedules is generally straightforward. However, shift-based scheduling may fall by the wayside as other approaches to hospitalist scheduling emerge.
Call-only scheduling
Call-only scheduling is a real money-saver for hospitals, as it allows systems to pay fewer hospitalists when patient volumes are low. But, like 7-on/7-off, call-only scheduling is fading from favor, perhaps due to physicians being on call for 24 long hours.
Hybrid scheduling
As its name suggests, hybrid scheduling combines the best features of shift-based and call-only scheduling. Hybrid scheduling is an attractive solution to growing hospitals that are not yet large enough to support a shift-based scheduling system.
Staggered, flexible scheduling
Shift scheduling looks great on paper, but the approach has one major flaw: it does not take into account the absolute rollercoaster of activity during any 24-hour period in any hospital. Mornings bring a flurry of activity, for example, marked by shift changes, diagnostic testing, and scheduled admissions and discharges. And, while the night shift can be full of surprises, it is usually quieter.Staggered, flexible physician scheduling helps hospitals meet the fluctuating patient care demands throughout the day. In this type of arrangement, each hospitalist begins and ends their day at a slightly different time, and some shifts are longer than others. Throughout the course of a pay period, though, each hospitalist can work their target number of hours. During slow times, hospitalists can take off work early.
ByteBloc Provides the Hospitalist Scheduling System to Meet Every Need
Founded by a physician more than 30 years ago, ByteBloc has been the industry leader for emergency medicine scheduling. Today, ByteBloc offers shift scheduling software that helps meet the scheduling needs of those outside the emergency department – including inpatient settings. Our hospitalist scheduling program helps hospitalists work the hours they want and achieve a healthy life/work balance, all without leaving the hospitals that employ them short- or over-staffed.
For more information about hospitalist scheduling software that can handle almost all scheduling options, consult with ByteBloc.
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