Nurse staffing can make or break patient care, so it’s important to do it right. Use these nursing scheduling software solutions to make this task more efficient.
As the medical field continues to feel the effects of an ongoing nursing shortage, managing schedules has become crucial to any administrator’s job.
You know you need coverage, but scheduling a nurse for multiple long shifts and overnight shifts can cause fatigue and burnout, potentially impacting patient care.
Instead of relying on paper schedules and spreadsheets, take advantage of nurse scheduling software.
What To Look For in Nursing Scheduling Software
The best nurse scheduling software should take the guesswork out of making and editing schedules. Look for software with these features:
- Intuitive: Choose a user-friendly nurse scheduling software solution. You shouldn’t have to spend too much of your time training staff and management on its use.
- Drag-and-drop feature: With this feature, your management team can easily create and update schedules, freeing them up for other tasks.
- Self-scheduling options: Self-scheduling software for nurses allows them to request and claim shifts, reducing conflicts and improving staff morale.
The Best Nurse Scheduling Software Solutions of 2023
1. eSchedule – Good for reporting tools
Created with medical professionals in mind, eSchedule offers multiple features that make it easy to create and manage schedules, including rotation scheduling, integration with personal calendars, and self-scheduling features.
eSchedule also lets you track training records, which is helpful when you need to track credentials. Keep accurate records of expiration dates to help ensure compliance. This software also lets you create customized reports, including staff availability and job skills. Each report is easily accessible and can be printed when other shift managers need to be brought up to speed.
Scheduling templates simplify tracking hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly nursing shifts. Your nursing staff can send messages to management, request PTO and overtime, and receive real-time schedule notifications in one app.
Key Features
- Cloud-based
- Rotation scheduling
- Integration with personal calendars
- Reporting features
- Time off request
Pros
- Easy to automate scheduling
- User-friendly
Cons
- The schedule format is difficult to change
- No flags for open shifts
Pricing
Starts at $100 per month
Free Trial: No
Free Plan: No
2. Connecteam – Best all-in-one nurse scheduling software
With Connecteam, your staff can access their schedules and communicate with the management team and each other right from the mobile app. They can also use the app to request time off, swap shifts, access checklists for their shifts, and write shift notes.
Connecteam lets you create customized templates and offers a drag-and-drop feature that makes scheduling a breeze. During the initial setup, you can import existing schedules from an Excel file or create shift templates based on job levels.
Since this software flags scheduling inconsistencies, your management team can create schedules with fewer errors. If they accidentally schedule someone for a back-to-back shift or assign too many hours in a week, the system will flag the error, and your manager can fix it before publishing the schedule. Each staff member is automatically notified of their schedule once it goes live, giving them time to make changes or request updates.
With Connecteam’s in-app messaging feature, your nursing staff can share helpful information with others on the team during shift changes. If a patient requires special care, use checklists and ensure each care team member knows which tasks have been completed and when.
Key Features
- Drag-and-drop scheduling
- Availability settings
- Shift replacements
- Automatic notifications
- Chat and messaging features
Pros
- All-in-one solution
- User-friendly interface
Cons
- Integrations are still in development
- Updates can slow down the software for a short time
Pricing
Starts at $29 per month
Free Option: Yes
Free Trial: Yes
3. Shiftboard – Good for tracking overtime costs
Shiftboard created a staffing solution specifically for healthcare professionals to improve flexibility and work-life balance. Its healthcare scheduling solution gives you a reliable resource for tracking and managing overtime.
You can automate scheduling to fill shifts with eligible employees and see a report detailing anticipated overtime costs once your schedule is complete. Shiftboard allows you to place limits on employee hours so your management team won’t overschedule your nurses.
This tool also gives you the option to create flexible schedules based on nurse availability and preferences. You can post shifts to the app, and your nursing staff can easily claim or trade shifts. When overtime shifts are available, post them for team members to claim on a first-come/first-served basis with shift limits to keep a few team members from claiming all overtime shifts.
With this feature, your nursing staff can see that overtime is being distributed fairly, and you save money on overtime costs by allocating these shifts more evenly across the team. You can also promote work/life balance.
Key Features
- Flexible scheduling
- Day-of-shift coverage tools
- Credential verification
- Self-scheduling features
- Overtime cost estimator
Pros
- Easy to learn
- Sleek interface
Cons
- Requires a set-up fee
- Reporting features could be more robust
Pricing
Starts at $45 per month for up to 35 employees
Free Option: No
Free Trial: No
4. Snap Schedule 365 – Good for self-scheduling
Snap Schedule 365 is a strong tool for healthcare practices with more than 50 nurses. It allows your management team to create, edit, publish, and distribute nursing schedules. Your nurses can easily see and manage their upcoming schedules using email and other communication features.
With Snap Schedule 365, nurses can submit time off requests for immediate approval and receive a notification once it’s approved or rejected. They can also claim open shifts and trade with ease. When two nurses have agreed to swap shifts, the system alerts each employee and the management team and updates the schedule.
Your managers will receive conflict alerts if they happen to overschedule or double-book someone on the team. Once they see the alert, they can look through each nurse’s availability to fill the shift and easily plug the employee with a conflict into another part of the schedule.
Snap Schedule 365 offers a clean interface that’s easy to understand. Color coding lets your nursing team easily identify whether they’re working the morning, swing, or night shift.
Key Features
- Calendar management
- Overtime calculation
- Shift swapping
- Automated scheduling
Pros
- Employee self-service options
- Easy to use
Cons
- Can be difficult to read
- Unable to see previous shifts once they’re edited
Pricing
Starts at $450/year for one scheduler + $36/year for every five users
Free Option: No
Free Trial: Yes
5. ScheduleAnywhere – Good for communication
ScheduleAnywhere is a cloud-based platform offering various communication tools that let nurses and the management team communicate by email, text message, and chat directly from the app. Your nurses can request shifts and update availability, and your management team can access the information when they’re making the schedule.
This app also offers a shift planner for scheduling far into the future so your administrative team can plan well in advance. It’s easy to automate scheduling by copying customized templates. Once a shift is posted, your nursing team will be notified so they can manage their schedules.
Since ScheduleAnywhere offers a mobile app, your shift managers can handle emergencies in real time without having to be onsite. If a nursing team member is running late or can’t make it to work, your managers can see who’s available, fill the shift directly from the app, and use the included communication tools to notify affected team members of the change.
Key Features
- Tailored reports
- Skills tracking
- Overtime notifications
- Employee self-scheduling
- Text and chat messaging features
Pros
- Good value for the cost
- User-friendly
Cons
- The platform is not intuitive
- Some features don’t function as well on mobile devices
Pricing
Starts at $25 a month
Free Option: No
Free Trial: Yes
What Is Nurse Scheduling Software?
Nurse scheduling software allows healthcare practices to plan and manage their nursing team’s schedules effectively. These platforms allow nurse managers to create schedules with automation and optimization tools easily. Instead of having to track availability, schedule requests, and credentials on paper or within a spreadsheet, the management team can access all information in one platform.
Many of these software solutions also have overtime flagging and other features that allow a healthcare practice to stay in compliance with staffing regulations.
The Benefits of Nurse Scheduling Software
Nursing can be a hard, taxing job, and 95% of nurses have reported burnout in the past three years. Overscheduling, multiple night shifts, and dissatisfaction with their schedules are all factors that can lead to burnout.
With scheduling software, healthcare management teams can set realistic and manageable schedules for their nursing team, allowing them more flexibility and greater work-life balance. These solutions also cut down on the time it takes to manage scheduling, allowing nurse managers and healthcare administrators time to focus on other parts of their jobs.
With the right nurse scheduling software, you can make your nursing team happier and more effective when they’re on shift.
