Hospitals Struggle with Staff Scheduling Due to Ineffective Methods

Scheduling for a pharmacy chain presents a unique set of challenges, as the store manager or lead pharmacist is responsible for scheduling store staff, technicians, float staff, and pharmacists for numerous locations. This rings especially true for those pharmacies still relying on outdated, manual scheduling methods, such as pen and paper or online spreadsheets.

Unless you happen to be a skilled mathematician, creating and revising an employee shift schedule that works well for everyone can be a complicated and time-consuming process. Regardless of the size of the company, manual scheduling often results in a loss of time and resources. This can be especially troublesome if you’re a healthcare organization. 

When traditional scheduling methods aren’t cutting it anymore, and you’re spending far too much time and resources on scheduling issues, you know it’s time for a major overhaul. It’s obvious you need a solution. Consider online employee scheduling software. And maybe you’ve already been thinking about it but have no idea how to choose the right one for your business.

Scheduling isn’t an easy task, no matter what the industry, but pharmacies deal with staff scheduling challenges that are unique and specific to the pharmacy field. This is especially true for those pharmacies who are still resorting to outdated, manual scheduling methods, such as spreadsheets, and worse, pen and paper.

As the healthcare industry continues to make incredible advances in technology, it’s a bit of a mystery why some hospitals are still using outdated, manual scheduling processes such as spreadsheets, or even pen and paper. What’s worse is there are many complicated issues related to manual scheduling that continue to plague staffing managers as they spend a large portion of their work days building schedules, making changes to an already distributed schedule, and then attempting to contact employees to make sure they are aware of any last-minute changes or urgent shift needs.

Schedule360 constantly strives to offer the best employee scheduling software by using only the latest web and mobile technologies. Occasionally our product features need to be updated or improved to ensure optimal customer satisfaction for our clients. If something isn’t working perfectly for our clients, we want to know, so we can work to remedy the situation.

Running an efficient pharmacy requires effective scheduling capabilities. You'll need to schedule store staff, floats, technicians, and pharmacists. Creating a pharmacy schedule can be easier said than done if you don't have the right scheduling software. You'll want to make sure there are no holes in your pharmacy schedule and that you meet everybody's scheduling needs, all while ensuring the schedule is fair and balanced.

Managing time-off requests is transparent and easy with healthcare scheduling software. Establish clear guidelines and use cloud-based scheduling software. Sometimes, a little time away from the office is just what one needs, to relax, regroup, or just catch their breath while enjoying some fresh new scenery around them. Other times, putting in a time-off request is necessary, such as when an unforeseen illness or family emergency arises.

Working in the healthcare industry can be challenging. It’s a job that requires a multitude of skills, including working amidst a hectic, fast-paced environment that changes rapidly. Healthcare staff often need to be in multiple situations throughout their shift in order to serve various patients.