Staff coverage examples

Staff coverage in the Schedule Zone is calculated for the day parts that are overlapped by the currently selected time range. This topic provides examples to demonstrate how different coverage numbers can be displayed for the same schedule.

For all the examples, nurses in the Cardio unit are assigned to the shifts listed in this table. All the shifts start on the same day.
Shift label Work time Break time
7D8 7:00 AM–3:00 PM None
7D12 7:00 AM–7:00 PM 1:00 PM–2:00 PM
19N12 7:00 PM–7:00 AM 1:00 AM–2:00 AM
22N4 10:00 PM–2:00 AM None
The Cardio unit uses the 4-hour day parts listed in this table. Based on the day part length, 1 Full-time Equivalent (FTE) is equal to 4 hours of scheduled work in a given day part.
Day Part Times
DAY1 7:00 AM–11:00 AM
DAY2 11:00 AM–3:00 PM
DAY3 3:00 PM–7:00 PM
NIGHT1 7:00 PM–11:00 PM
NIGHT2 11:00 PM–3:00 AM
NIGHT3 3:00 AM–7:00 AM

Example: Displaying whole day parts

When multiple day parts are overlapped by the selected time range, the coverage is averaged across all the displayed day parts.

In this example, the user opens the schedule for 7:00 AM–7:00 PM. This time range completely overlaps day parts DAY1, DAY2, and DAY3. The Cardio nurse section displays the 7D8 and 7D12 shifts. The staffing requirements are for 2 nurses in each day part.

This table lists the coverage for Cardio nurses for each day part and the total displayed coverage.
Day part Scheduled work hours Coverage displayed (FTE)
DAY1 8 2/2
DAY2 7 1.75/2
DAY3 4 1/2
Total displayed coverage 19 1.58/2
The staff coverage is calculated using the formula described in Viewing staff coverage in the Schedule Zone: 
(2 + 1.75 + 1) / 3    1.58
—————————————————— =  ————
 (2 + 2 + 2) / 3       2

DAY1 has full coverage, but the unit is understaffed overall. DAY2 is understaffed because of the break, and DAY3 is understaffed because only 1 employee is assigned to cover 2 FTE.

Example: Displaying partially overlapped day parts

When a day part is partially overlapped by the selected time range, the staff coverage is still calculated for the entire day part. This includes the day part's staffing requirements and all shifts scheduled during that day part.

In this example, the user opens the schedule for 9:00 AM–11:00 PM. This time range completely overlaps day parts DAY2, DAY3, and NIGHT1. It partially overlaps DAY1. The Cardio nurse section displays all 4 shifts. The staffing requirements are for 2 nurses in each day part.

This table lists the coverage for Cardio nurses for each day part and the total displayed coverage. An asterisks (*) indicates a partially overlapped day part.
Day part Scheduled work hours Coverage displayed (FTE)
*DAY1 8 2/2
DAY2 7 1.75/2
DAY3 4 1/2
NIGHT1 5 1.25/2
Total displayed coverage 24 1.5/2

The coverage for DAY1 is the same as the previous example, even though only 2 hours of the day part are overlapped by the selected time range.

Example: Shifts not overlapped by the selected time range

Shifts that are scheduled during any of the overlapped day parts are included in coverage calculations. This includes shifts that overlap one of the included day parts but are not displayed because the shift times do not overlap the selected time range.

In this example, the user opens the schedule from 7:00 AM–9:00 PM. This time range completely overlaps day parts DAY1, DAY2, and DAY3. It partially overlaps NIGHT1. The staffing requirements are for 2 nurses in each day part. The Cardio nurse section displays the 7D8, 7D12, and 19N12 shifts.

This table lists the coverage for Cardio nurses for each day part and the total displayed coverage. An asterisks (*) indicates a partially overlapped day part.
Day part Scheduled work hours Coverage displayed (FTE)
DAY1 8 2/2
DAY2 7 1.75/2
DAY3 4 1/2
*NIGHT1 5 1.25/2
Total displayed coverage 24 1.5/2

The coverage displayed is identical to the previous example. Even though the 22N4 shift is not displayed because it starts at 10:00 PM, it is still included in the coverage for NIGHT1.

Example: Non-flat staffing requirements

Staffing requirements are averaged across the day parts to calculate the total staffing requirement that is displayed in the denominator of the displayed coverage ratio.

In this example, the user opens the schedule from 7:00 AM–11:00 PM. The Cardio nurse section displays all 4 shifts. The staffing requirements for each DAY day part is 2, and the staffing requirement for each NIGHT day part is 3.

This table lists the coverage for Cardio nurses for each day part and the total displayed coverage.
Day part Scheduled work hours Coverage displayed (FTE)
DAY1 8 2/2
DAY2 7 1.75/2
DAY3 4 1/2
NIGHT1 5 1.25/3
Total displayed coverage 24 1.5/2.25

Because an additional nurse is required for NIGHT1, the total staff requirement is higher than in the other examples.