Step 6 - Schedules

The template settings can be as complicated or as simple as your office requires. There is one default schedule in the system and it must be applied to each provider in order for them to show up on the appointments screen.

• Click on the 'Schedule Setting' Link under the Schedule heading.

HOLIDAY SETTINGS

Holiday Setting enables you to indicate recognized holidays and name them on the calendar. This information will be accessible to all users.

A separate public template for booked holidays will need to be developed and used on individual schedules.

TEMPLATE CODES AND DAY TEMPLATE SETTINGS

Template Code Setting

Assign a one-character code letter or number and a description of less than 40 characters. The duration of each code unit is in minutes and html code is used for the background colour.

Template Setting

1. Select Template Setting for Public or Provider templates from the drop-down menu. Public templates are automatically designated 'P:' and will develop templates available to all users when setting up personal schedules. Personal templates remain available to the designated provider only.
   
   
2. Name the template to reflect the day’s schedule. This information will be visible on the “Month” tab calendar only. Summarize the template (i.e. Provider Name - Monday). A template with the same name will overwrite the original template.
3. Assign appropriate template code to 15-minutes time slots corresponding to provider’s schedule.
4. Click in the block and tab or shift-tab to add and delete code.
5. Save completed template.
6. The template will now be available on drop-down menu to edit or delete as necessary within the respective Public or Provider’s template setting area.
7. Exit when all templates for one Provider are done.

-NOTE: A template will not appear on the appointment screen once the date range for the template has exceeded one year. If the template is remaining the same, a new template with the start date at the current day needs to be set.

MEANING OF SAMPLE CODES

  A Academic (paperwork etc)
  B Behavioral Science
  C Chart Audit Rounds
  D Department Meeting
  E Study Leave
  H Hospital
  L Lunch
  M Monitoring
  P Phone Calls
  R Rounds
  V Vacation
  U Urgent
  t Travel
  a Administrative/Education Duties
  m Meeting
  s Same Day Appointment
  1 15 Minute Appointment
  2 30 Minute Appointment
  3 45 Minute Appointment
  6 60 Minute Appointment

SETTING UP A SCHEDULE

1. Select a Provider from the drop down menu under ‘Select a Provider’ in order to set up the schedule using the templates you have developed.
2. The new window will show the provider’s name in the upper left corner of the screen
   
   
3. Specify a start and end date for the schedule.
4. Check off the days of week that the provider is available
5. Transfer prepared templates by clicking on the template name and then the arrow beside the appropriate day
6. Alternate Week Schedules: Click on if applicable, before transferring template information to schedule. This would be used if the provider has a schedule that alternates every two weeks on the same cycle. Transfer prepared templates to all applicable available days.
7. When you have filled in all the appropriate days, click the “Next” button to save and view the schedule in calendar view.

• NOTE: The effective dates are the only ones that will actually appear in the provider’s schedule, although the template names appear on all calendars.

-TIP: Concurrent schedules will need a new start and end date or the current R Schedule can be extended by the end date. Never change the start date of the current R Schedule. Each additional schedule will be added to the drop-down menu of available schedule fields.

UPDATING A SCHEDULE

1. When schedule updating is required for specific dates, select the appropriate schedule field containing these effective dates and modify.  Click 'Next' to advance to the calendar view of the schedule.
   
   
2. Click on the appropriate calendar date (use arrows to advance calendars) to be changed
3. Replace the current template with the appropriate Public or Personal template from the drop-down menu.
4. If the schedule change needs to revert to the original or an error was made selecting the correct date for a change, click on the date to be updated and click “Delete” to return the schedule to the original template.
5. Temporary changes to a template over a longer period of time or ongoing changes can be made by specifying the start and end dates to create a new schedule field and copying the appropriate templates for that time period.
6. New templates can replace old templates. Alternatively, a minor change to the same template in the Template Setting area may be sufficient.

SINGLE DAYS

• When you get to the calendar view of the process you can now select individual days that the provider will be ON-CALL or not available
• The provider can be made “available” (will show on Schedule View) or “not available” (will show on View All only). Save to update.
• A colour change to yellow on the schedule setting calendar indicates a template change and provider is available.
• A colour change on the schedule setting calendar to dark blue indicates a template change and provider is not available.

FINISHING

1. Click “Next” to save changes.
2. You have finished one Schedule Setting successfully.
3. Click the “Do It Again” button to go back to the first schedule page and do another provider’s schedule.
4. Choose next provider for template setting.
5. Click the “Finish” button to exit the window.