Health Systems Lean Into Nurse Self-Scheduling

                                                               By Mackenzie Bean 

Some hospitals and health systems are embracing self-scheduling options for nurses and other team members in a bid to attract and retain younger workers. A recent survey suggests the strategy could also bring back nurses who've retired or left the field.

About 66% of nurses reported being satisfied with their employers' flexible schedule options, according to a March 28 poll. Nurses of all tenures identified self-scheduling as the most important flexible scheduling option to them. The highest desire for self-scheduling came from new nurses (41%).

When asked what would make retired nurses return to clinical nursing, the ability to make their own schedule was also the No. 1 answer.

Mountain View, Calif.-based El Camino Health offers nurse self-scheduling as a key strategy to foster a positive practice environment for nurses and decrease turnover.

"Our staffing and scheduling processes promote efficiency while meeting the needs of our staff, which is also essential for retention," Dan Woods, the system's CEO, said in July. "While self-scheduling helps staff have more control, we also have guide rails in place to ensure there is no self-scheduled overtime or other premium pay."

Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health is also piloting an employee self-scheduling initiative in its cath labs. Team members develop their own work schedule for a week, which their manager then reviews and approves. So far, team members' response to the pilot has been highly positive, according to Hilary Nierenberg, the system's director of cardiovascular care transformation services in its North region.