In the complex world of healthcare management, staffing has emerged as the most urgent and pressing challenge, especially when it comes to ensuring adequate nurse staffing levels. Without proper staff resources, nurse burnout can cause undue stress and poor performance, in turn potentially affecting the quality of care patients receive. As a result, there is a critical need to urgently improve nurse shift filling rates to address staffing gaps. Traditional manual nurse shift filling methods have proven cumbersome and inefficient, however, new and innovative technology solutions can be harnessed to redefine how health systems manage their staffing. The four key aspects of these technologies include:
Streamlined Communication
Advanced shift filling platforms enable healthcare organizations to instantaneously communicate shift openings to a pool of qualified nurses. Within minutes, eligible nurses can receive a notification regarding an available shift, apply for it, and receive a response about whether or not it was awarded to them. This rapid communication workflow allows for faster responses to staffing gaps, reducing the potential risks associated with prolonged understaffing.
Configurability
Every organization has different, unique needs when it comes to absence management. Configurable software solutions are key to developing an efficient means to communicate vacant shifts to nurses who are eligible to work them. This can include navigating complex union rules, offering notification preference settings, or providing schedulers with additional capabilities to offer timed / rolling shifts. These configurable features ultimately empower nurses more flexibility in line with their schedule preferences and increase staffing process efficiency.
Flexible Scheduling
One of the key benefits of shift filling technology is the flexibility it provides to staff utilizing it; nurses are empowered with a sense of autonomy with their schedule. Nurses are in the driver’s seat of their own schedules and can align their shifts around their personal commitments and preferences. This helps deliver improved work/life balance, which can lead to reduced burnout and improved job satisfaction. Notable flexible scheduling options include preference-based shift scheduling, shift splitting, and internal float pools. Nurses can apply for shifts of their choice, opt for shorter shift segments, or receive cross-training to assist in various departments and roles.
Actionable Data Insights
Intelligent shift filling automation provides a more seamless, integrated workflow to drive actionable decisions. Data points surrounding nurse shift filling, and absence reporting can provide insights into the real-time movement of nurses within an organization. These insights can help leaders to better understand patterns, trends, and potential vulnerabilities across the organization. For example, this data can help identify patterns such as recurring absences on specific days of the week or during specific seasons. This level of visibility empowers proactive measures to mitigate the effects of understaffing, helping identify the critical shifts to fill first. For a first-hand look into the role of actionable data in a healthcare organization, check out this clip from the Director of Workforce Scheduling at Island Health.
How Andgo Helps
Andgo’s intelligent shift filling automation solution provides innovative features to help improve nurse shift filling workflows. Through its intuitive interface, nurses can easily indicate their availability and preferences, allowing them to select shifts that align with their personal commitments. When staffing gaps arise, Andgo's automated system swiftly matches available nurses with vacant shifts based on their eligibility. Further, Andgo's data insights quickly identify potential staffing gaps in advance, enabling healthcare institutions to proactively plan and make informed decisions. Book a demo today to learn how Andgo can help your organization!
