Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

1969

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

A review of the literature indicates that previous studies have not provided an effective scheduling technique which will comply both with the restrictions of a set weekend-off sequence and of modern employment laws. Most hospitals are required to comply with the wage and hour laws of their state and, therefore, must schedule within this restriction. In a large number of cases, the hospital and the staff members have agreed upon some set weekend off sequence, thus placing an additional restriction on the scheduling procedure. The concept of position control is not mentioned in the literature. Preliminary investigation by this author has shown that there is a great need for a method to control the balance between the man-hour requirements and the man-hour availability in hospital working· environments. The need is especially urgent in areas which require 24 hour per day, 7 days per week coverage. Carrying this concept further, the position control procedure assures that the available man-hours are utilized in required positions in an economic manner on a day by day, shift by shift basis. A systematic scheduling and position control procedure, as defined above, are essential for the effective use of staff and, hence, for the economic operation of the institution. This study proposes to develop a procedure to accomplish the following: 1. Establish the requirements on the unit. 2. Determine the unit status by comparing the man-hour requirements with the man-hour availability on that unit. 3. Provide a simple, understandable means of communicating out of balance situations to higher management. 4. Develop a systematic procedure for cyclic scheduling of the working hours of the staff. 5. Provide a procedure for the effective utilization of the available staff as per the schedule in the required positions on a day by day and shift by shift basis. 6. Develop a means of communication between the staffing function and the personnel department for maintenance of the required position control. 7. Design all the necessary forms to accomplish the above objectives. 8. Reduce the technique to a set of simple, understandable instructions for use by the staffing function and the personnel department.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Industrial engineering
Hospitals -- Administration
Nursing services -- Administration

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

76

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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