The Problem
For schedulers, the senior care landscape has been tough to navigate, post-pandemic. Census numbers and available staff fluctuate on a week-to-week basis. If you don’t have a reliable scheduling and staffing system in place, how do you keep up?
Lea Hill, a Wesley community, located in Auburn, Washington faced these exact challenges. Connie Donaldson, the Staffing and Purchasing Coordinator at the Lea Hill campus, was spending over 2 hours a day scheduling. “We’ve got quite a few agencies we deal with. I have them numbered as far as which ones I like the best. It’s the constant cut/paste, cut/paste. And once I send those emails, they call me”, she says. Sorting through email chains, voicemails, and text messages from different agencies creates a burden. Inevitably, all of that back and forth would lead to scheduling mishaps.
Connie shared this example. “I had accepted a CNA from an agency to work a double shift, but no one showed up. I had to dig and dig and dig to see if I could find the confirmation”. Situations like these waste valuable time and unfilled shifts can be harmful to the quality and quantity of patient care offered.
The Solution
To solve these staffing inefficiencies and save time on scheduling, Wesley had to change how they staffed their facility. Introducing Kevala. Kevala’s new open shift management software allowed her to bring everything into one place. The schedule and communication with agencies were now organized into one easy-to-use platform.
“I think the biggest thing that Kevala does is that it keeps all of my staffing in one area. I’m not trying to dig up multiple email chains, voicemails, text messages, or scraps of paper. It’s all in one area. That is so important.” Connie says.
The Outcome
Now that Connie can input shift details once and share those details with her preferred agencies (in the order that’s best for the facility) the days of simultaneous back and forth with agency partners are long gone. Saving a total of 10 hours a week, Kevala ultimately makes time for schedulers to focus on other important aspects of their jobs.
Connie says she now has more time to support the campus with other tasks, such as process improvements with purchasing and connecting with new teammates. Connie notes that scheduling can feel like a 24/7 job, but with Kevala she keeps a healthy work-life balance.
The open shift management system saves time in scheduling and eliminates miscommunications. No more double bookings, no-shows, or general scheduling mistakes. Lea Hill now has an efficient and effective scheduling process.
What's Next
Working with Kevala, Connie can fill open shifts in a timely and efficient manner. This approach matches Wesley’s culture of continuous improvement allowing Connie to support other initiatives in progress at Lea Hill.
“I’ve been doing staffing for over 20 years and this is probably the best thing that has happened to staffing since I started”
Now that Lea Hill can operate efficiently, they can continue to focus on providing an inclusive and caring community. Enriching the lives of their residents and providing top-tier healthcare services.
