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Use Shift Templates

Scheduling standardized staff shifts is quicker and easier with the help of predefined shift templates. You can use shift templates to plan and organize an entire day of staff schedules, including overnight shifts.

Create a Shift Template

Shift templates use shift types which must first be created in the clinic location settings.

Note: Shift templates are specific to the active clinic location, meaning that templates created under one clinic location are not available for use in other clinic locations.

You can create shift templates in the template settings:

  1. Select the clinic name button in the top-left corner, select Settings, then go to Lists & Templates > Templates > Shift Templates.

  2. Select Add.

  3. Fill in the required information:

    1. Add a Name for the shift template. For example, a name such as 'Morning MWF' could be used for a template for a morning shift on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

    2. Optionally, you can add an identifying Code which the staff can use to easily recognize and search for the template.

    3. Select Active to make the template available for scheduling.

    4. If the shift duration spans more than a single calendar day, select Two day template. For more information, see Create a Two-Day Shift Template.

  4. Select Add block to open a section for creating the shifts.

    • You can create multiple time blocks, for example, if you want the shift template to include a morning time block and an afternoon time block.

    • The time must be added in the '00:00 am/pm' format when the US 12-hour clock is in use. The 24-hour clock format is available for other locales.

    • To create a shift that ends exactly at midnight, use 23:59 as the end time.

  5. Click and drag in the calendar to create a shift.

  6. Fill in the required information:

    1. Select the Shift type. The available options depend on the shift types created in the settings.

    2. Select a Ward and a Team if needed. The available options depend on the wards and teams created in the settings. Leave these empty if your clinic does not use wards or teams.

    3. You can adjust the Start and End times if needed.

    4. The Show in web booking option is available if the shift type has been defined as available for online booking. Select this checkbox if you want the shift to be available for online booking.

    5. You can add additional information in the Note field.

  7. Select Save.

To edit an existing shift block, select it to open the edit dialog.

Create all necessary shift type blocks following the steps above.

Note: Shift blocks cannot overlap in time.

Create a Two-Day Shift Template

Two-day shift templates are used when a shift time block spans from one calendar day to the next, for example, a night shift starting in the evening and ending the next day.

To create a two-day shift template:

  1. Select the clinic name button in the top-left corner, select Settings, then go to Lists & Templates > Templates > Shift Templates.

  2. Select Add.

  3. Select the Two day template option and fill in other information as described in step 3 of Create a Shift Template.

  4. Select Add block twice to create two time blocks, one for each calendar day. Set the first block to end at 11:59 pm and the second to start at 12:00 am. On a 24-hour clock, use 23:59 and 00:00. The two blocks appear side by side in the dialog.

  5. Continue from step 5 of Create a Shift Template.

Schedule Staff Shifts Using Shift Templates

  1. Go to Scheduling > Shifts. The Shift types tab opens by default.

  2. Select the Shift templates tab.

  3. From Schedule for, select User or Resource, then select the user or resource in the field. Make sure the same user or resource is also selected in the filters on the left. When scheduling night or evening shifts outside the standard day view, clear the Use day view option if it is in use.

  4. Find the shift template in the list, or enter its name or code in the Search templates by name or code field. On the template row, select Select. The button on that row changes to Unselect, and the template name appears as Selected template on the left.

  5. Select the Duration of a slot option if you want to split the shift into individual time slots. Scheduling individual time blocks is recommended if the shift is available for online booking. You can delete individual shift time blocks and keep only some.

  6. Adjust the calendar view if needed. The filters on the left control which users, resources, and shift types appear. The Day, Week, and Month buttons in the top-right corner set the time period, and Today and the arrows next to them move between dates.

  7. Select a calendar day to schedule the selected shift template. A message appears confirming how many shifts were created. If there is a problem, an error message appears instead.

Delete a Shift Template

To delete a shift template, select the clinic name button in the top-left corner, select Settings, then go to Lists & Templates > Templates > Shift Templates. Select the trash bin button on the template row.

To edit a template instead, select the pen button on the template row.

Note: To edit, copy, or delete a shift that is already scheduled, see Manage Shifts.

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