Nursing Schedule Assessment Form

September 16, 2014

Nurses working in a medical facility need their schedules to be evaluated so that they can work conveniently in the medical facility. Nurses can work freely and with peace of mind when the scheduling of the staff is done effectively. Making a timetable also makes sure that no one is overworked or feeling under work.

What is a nursing schedule evaluation form?

Those who are in the management department need an evaluation form for properly allocating nurses to different shifts. It is an essential part of performing the day-to-day activities of the hospital. There are lots of factors that are taken into account before allocating caretakers to different shifts such as their qualifications and skill level. The form of evaluation helps in the scheduling process.

What are the benefits of using the timetable evaluation form?

It is beneficial for the staff members to use the form. Here is a brief overview of the benefits people get after using this form:

It helps in time management

A hospital generally requires the caretaking staff throughout the day. Therefore, scheduling is extremely important. It helps in the management of the time and it becomes possible for the management to make sure that there is no such hour in which a hospital does not have a caretaker for its patients and other people.

It is helpful to justify the allocation

The allocation of every caretaker needs to be fair that ensures that the hospital believes in equality and distribution of work among hours. This also prevents resentment among the staff members.

It fulfills the needs of the nurses

People working as nurses in a hospital have specific needs such as taking a leave or a break from work. When this happens, the hospital needs to meet the needs of the staff. The management of leaves and hiring additional staff is possible when a form is used because it helps in the critical evaluation of the schedule designed for the nursing staff.

What does a timetable assessment form include?

Some companies create their own form because the ready-made form does not meet their needs completely. If they know about the main components, they can easily create it. Here is a brief overview:

Information about the facility

A clinic has different parts where nurses are required to work such as the ICU, wards, general treatment sections, etc. Those who need to allocate staff to these sections should be able to see each section of the clinic they need to focus on.

Duration of the assessment

Evaluation is usually performed for a specific time duration because it is a long and time-consuming process. This time period can be one week or 6 months. The duration chosen by the management of the clinic totally depends on its unique staff timetable needs.

Information about the expected patients

The evaluators have to keep an eye on the number of patients a clinic has to deal with in a single day. The number of staff members largely depends on it. So, based on previous patient turnover, the evaluators figure out how many patients can be expected in the next period of evaluation, and this way, they can also see how many nurses are required to be hired and on which shift.

Nurse hiring needs

Every healthcare facility calculates the nurse-to-nurse-to-patient ratio depending on how many patients a caregiver can deal with at a time. It is also determined how many patients are usually admitted to the clinic during each shift and when the patient load is maximum. Due to this, the allocation is done in such a way that a clinic never gets short of staff.

Comments

Evaluators add comments at the end of the form that can include reminders for the future. Special instructions are also added here by evaluators which can be useful for those people who want to use this form for future reference.

Creating a form is very easy as long as you are aware of the scheduling needs of the healthcare facility. Its use will help you ensure that you are creating a timetable that is easy to follow, free from conflicts, and helps everyone get adjusted to it as this is the major concern of the management.