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Scheduling program offers staff flexibility
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by Cindy Abole
Public Relations
Nurses, nursing assistants and unit secretaries now have a choice when
it comes to picking up extra work shifts in patient care areas to help
fill staffing needs. The program, ShiftSmart, allows MUSC clinical
staff working in the Medical University Hospital and Ashley River Tower
(ART) to sign up to work available shifts, outside of their home unit
to supplement canceled shifts and earn extra money. Staff register
online to search and sign up for available shifts within their area of
competency.
 NSICU
nurse manager Cheryl Holderfield, left, reviews ShiftSmart with
staffers Preston Sparks, Cindy Edwards, right, and Melissa Hill.
The new scheduling program was created based on staff and
administrative recommendations as a home-grown program to help
supplement daily staffing needs by allowing qualified staff to cover
open shifts throughout the medical center. It was designed to
supplement the hospital options pool (HOP) schedule and expanding
automated nurse office scheduling system used by MUSC Clinical
Services. It was created by Michael Irving, MUHA clinical informatics
manager, and managed by a five-person ShiftSmart Task Force which
monitors and oversees the program, manages tracking data, and provides
recommendations.
“Our goal was to establish a program that we could implement quickly,
was user-friendly and met our small, individual needs. ShiftSmart
allows us to expand the hospital’s ability to fill work shifts on a
daily basis,” said Elizabeth Perry, R.N., manager of the Medical
University Hospital staffing office , hospital supervisors and HOP.
According to Perry, the HOP office has changed the way its schedules
staff and meets the hospital’s staffing need with the rollout of
ShiftSmart in October. The program’s success is dependent upon both
staff and unit participation.
The program is available to nurses, nurse’s aids, clinical assistants
and clinical unit secretaries who are in good standing (not under
disciplinary action or probation) within their home unit.
With ShiftSmart, nurse managers and unit secretaries submit their
staffing needs via ShiftSmart and the central staffing office 48 hours
in advance. Staff wishing to enroll in the program must apply via their
home unit. Once registered, they can sign up online for available
shifts to work in or outside of their home unit. Participants can sign
up to work extra shifts with ShiftSmart only after meeting their weekly
scheduled work commitment within their home unit. Nurse managers verify
each participant’s work competencies and qualifications to work within
any of 10 area zones. For example, a qualified cardiology nurse may
also work in a general medicine unit. The central staffing office and
the employee’s home unit nurse manager ultimately approves ShiftSmart
schedules. Once approved, participating employees and the requested
hospital unit staff will receive a confirmation by phone within 24
hours of the employee’s request.
To help orient staff to using ShiftSmart, eligible employees can attend
orientation and training via ClinDoc and AdminRX. Additional unit-based
training and individual sessions also are available.
ShiftSmart utilizes both permanent and floater nurse staff. Nancy
Johnson, is a 20-year registered nurse who has worked as a HOP nurse
for the past 12 years. She heard of the ShiftSmart program while
working nights in the Medical University Hospital and decided to give
ShiftSmart a try.
“I submitted the program application and tried it out,” said Johnson,
who is qualified to work in the adult medical-surgical unit areas. “So
far it’s been a good experience and I like the areas that I’ve been
scheduled to work in. I found that signing up with ShiftSmart is both
quick and easy.”
5West Hemotology-Oncology nurse manager Kathy Burt also is a proponent
for ShiftSmart, especially as it relates to filling her unit’s needs
for secretarial support on the weekends.
“With the recent changes in staffing profiles and new nursing models,
we saw an immediate need with support positions in our unit, especially
in the role of the unit secretary to help staff the desk and interface
between families during weekends,” said Burt, who manages a 21-bed unit
and 20-plus member staff at ART. To help, Burt has managed to
cross-train her staff nursing assistants and technicians with the unit
secretary’s skills.
“ShiftSmart is a good system,” Burt said. “My staff is doing great
adjusting to these new work models and can now pick up shifts whenever
they desire. With ShiftSmart, there’s some peace of mind knowing that
someone qualified can fill this role and minding our unit desk to
handle patient or other special situations. That allows others do their
jobs. It’s a win-win situation.”
Once established, ShiftSmart is expected to expand a parallel program
in Ambulatory Care, Institute of Psychiatry and the Hollings Cancer
Center.
For information, visit https://www.musc.edu/medcenter/index.htm and click ShiftSmart or contact the staffing office at 792-8375, 792-5126 and 792-7467.
Nov. 14, 2008
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