2011 was a big year for many reasons: William and Kate tied the knot, Justin Bieber got his hair cut, and OnShift launched its inaugural Scheduler of the Year Awards. We’re most excited about #3 – the awards program that recognizes some of the best and brightest schedulers in long-term care and senior living.
We were overwhelmed with responses! It’s clear that there are hundreds, if not more, of you out there who are critical players at your homes and communities, responsible for the ins and outs of scheduling employees on a daily basis -- avoiding over/understaffing, keeping an eye on overtime, and most importantly, making sure you have the right number of staff on hand to deliver high quality care to your residents and patients. It’s not an easy job!
That’s why we launched the Scheduler of the Year Awards. We thought it would be a nice way to shed some light on what many say is a thankless job, but plays such an essential role in keeping your organizations humming.
The stories we received were inspiring. There were many references to “scheduling with a smile,” “commitment”, “enriching the lives of residents”, and “determination and dedication.” And the information on the value your organizations have experienced was tremendous! So many of you have reduced overtime to the lowest rates your organization has ever experienced. Many are now running agency-free and meet your HPPD or labor budgets each and every day! Many nominations talked about how much happier both the staff and residents are, which has led to less turnover and higher occupancy. Your stories added up to significant dollars and cents savings, but also show how much scheduling impacts areas like the well-being of your residents and satisfaction of your staff. We’re proud that OnShift has had a role in helping you achieve success.
With so many success stories, it was really hard to pick the winners! But (drumroll, please) here are the schedulers who stood out from the crowd. Congratulations to OnShift’s 2011 Schedulers of the Year:
- Connie Carlson, The Assisi Health Care Center at Clare Oaks, Life Care Services LLC
- Gina Fenske, Terraces of Phoenix, American Baptist Homes of the West
- Lila Howell, Mason Christian Village, Christian Homes, Inc.
- Maria Martinez, Lexington of Chicago Ridge, Lexington Health Network
- Tabitha Ramos, Country Club Retirement Campus at Ashtabula, Holland Management, Inc.
Thanks to all of you who took the time to nominate your schedulers. It really was a difficult process to select just a few! May all of you have continued success in 2012. We are looking forward to continuing to partner with you on your staffing and scheduling efforts. There’s a lot more to come from OnShift in 2012, too! And, be sure to stay tuned on our plans for the 2012 Scheduler of the Year Awards.
