Scheduling Models for an Inpatient Nursing Unit

Optimal scheduling models for patient-care units are important, not only to help ensure that patients get adequate coverage and continuity of care, but also to accommodate staff preferences, which in turn can lead to higher staff retention.

In this Application you will analyze a scenario involving an inpatient hospital unit and propose ways that it can improve its performance by adjusting its scheduling model.

Scenario: Staff Scheduling at an Inpatient Nursing Unit

One of the inpatient nursing units in Regional Hospital Center anticipates difficulty in meeting its staffing needs in the next several months. The current scheduling is cyclical, on a 8/40 pattern, with little flexibility. You are assigned to help the nurse manager of this unit. She asks you for your input on whether some challenges might be alleviated by changing the staff scheduling model. Based on your preliminary assessment, she will decide if she should do further formal analysis.

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