How a Modern Scheduling Solution Can Help Improve Nurse Job Satisfaction

As the pandemic heads into its third year, nurses across the country are facing burn-out and low job satisfaction driven challenges months of longer shifts and heavier caseloads. Similarly, nursing managers and executives are pressured to maintain appropriate staffing levels and are burdened with highly manual staffing and scheduling processes which take time and attention away from patient care.  Without a scheduling solution to help nurses find the proper work-life balance, many nurses are choosing to leave their current position or retire.

Some nurses are even taking a stand. Massachusetts is currently experiencing the longest nurse strike in state history, as negotiations on scheduling procedures between the nurses’ union and hospital’s continue to worsen. Without many of its nurses, hospitals in Massachusetts and around the country may need to consider what can be done to better their work-life experience.

An important step that hospitals should consider improving nurse retention and job satisfaction is the transition to a modern scheduling solution. By switching to a modern scheduler, healthcare facilitates can make their nurses an active part of the scheduling process and create a productive work environment.

Making Nurses an Active Part of the Scheduling Process

According to a Zebra Technologies’ recent survey report, only 42% of nurses can change scheduling preferences on their own without a manager’s intervention. This is mostly because many hospitals rely on manual systems that are not accessible to nurses and that do not provide them visibility into day-to-day schedules.

Modern scheduling solutions, however, can offer nurses, caregivers and support staff the ability to manage their own schedules on their own terms from their Android or iOS mobile devices. Empowering staff to become a more active part of the scheduling process starts by giving them the ability to:

• Check Schedules: Easily view schedules with shift details in advance
• Adjust Availability: Update availability and preferences to ensure you’re only scheduled when available
• Request Leave: View PTO or sick-time balances, request time off and review request statuses

Creating a Flexible and Productive Work Environment

When healthcare facilities make their nurses and staff an active part of their scheduling process, they are creating a healthy and efficient work environment. Instead of relying on nurse managers to tackle scheduling, leave requests and shift swaps, nurses and nurse managers can work together through modern technology to create a schedule that fits everyone’s needs.

This means that nurses who want to work extra hours can pick up extra shifts through self-schedulers. Or, if a nurse has an urgent matter, they can drop a shift for someone who is willing and able to work. By allowing nurses to actively take part in the scheduling process, hospitals are indicating that they value their time. It also allows nurses to find the appropriate work life balance that works for them and their facility, which can help boost job satisfaction.

A modern scheduling solution can simplify the scheduling process for managers, so they won’t have to scramble to make calls or spend time at their desks sending emails to fill open slots. Instead, the right solution will empower nurses and nurse managers to collaborate, leaving more time to focus on patient -facing problems.

When nurses and nurse managers spend less time worrying about scheduling and more time working on the frontlines, they may find themselves with increased job satisfaction and with time to focus on what their passionate about.

Next Steps

As nurse retention continues to fall and more hospitals experience nurse strikes, the time for facilities to consider a transition to a modern scheduling solution is now. To learn more about how workforce management can help with scheduling, visit our website here.