Does the thought of a call-off or a schedule change make your heart race or your stomach drop? It doesn’t have to be that way. Here are six ShiftKey features that make it easy to fill more last-minute shifts, reduce unnecessary stress and strengthen continuity of care.
Table of contents
Invite professionals directly to fill more open shifts
Mark last-minute shifts as Premium
Quickly re-engage preferred independent professionals with Favorites
Turn on and optimize Admin Assist
Plan ahead when possible
Use the ShiftKey mobile app and enable notifications
1. Invite professionals directly to fill more open shifts
Facilities that invite specific professionals or a group of professionals to claim open shifts find more coverage — especially for last-minute shifts. In fact, shifts are usually claimed within six to 10 minutes when they are sent directly to professionals.
The technology makes it easy to invite professionals you know, love and trust. It also gives your team the flexibility to invite the most reliable professionals in the area. It’s perfect for moments when time is short but the need is great.
How to send shifts to professionals directly
In addition to posting your shift to the marketplace, select the shift you need coverage for. Then, choose “Send Shift” to invite professionals manually, or Broadcast Shift to invite a group of professionals—either your Favorites or all eligible professionals. Invited professionals can immediately claim those shifts, bypassing the shift request and approval process. This saves you critical time.
The technology keeps you in control of who gets invited, and the first invited professional to claim the shift gets it.
Our team especially likes the control we get when we directly invite our favorite independent professionals to view and claim open shifts.
When sending a shift directly to professionals through the platform, you have three options:
- Send shifts to known professionals manually via “Send Shift.” You can use this feature anytime, and it gives you the most control over who claims the shift.
- Send shifts to all your preferred independent professionals by broadcasting them to your Favorites. You’re still inviting known professionals, but rather than selecting them one-by-one, all you have to do is click “Broadcast Shift” then select “Favorite Professionals.” This sends your shift to your preferred independent professionals automatically, saving you even more time. You can use Broadcast to Favorites for shifts starting in 48 hours or less.
Send shifts to all independent professionals in your area by broadcasting them to "Eligible Professionals." This enables you to reach more professionals without sacrificing reliability because the technology only invites the most reliable professionals available. It works for shifts starting in 48 hours or less.
Shifts with higher rates (Premium Shifts) stand out and are more likely to be requested, especially when lead time is tight. Shifts that need to be filled within two hours are 123% more likely to be requested, making Premium Shifts a key lever to pull when you need coverage urgently. Directly inviting professionals to view Premium Shifts can elevate shift visibility even more by enabling them to claim those shifts immediately.
How Premium Shifts work:
When posting a shift, you’ll see two available rates: A lower one and a higher one. The lower rate is selected by default, as this is the Standard Shift. Simply select the higher rate and post the shift as usual.
3. Quickly re-engage preferred independent professionals with Favorites
Our Favorites feature is the foundation of strategic shift coverage. It’s also the only way to automatically re-engage independent professionals you already know (and prefer) via Admin Assist. With this feature, you tap into the full power of our technology.
How the Favorites feature works:
Build your Favorites list with independent professionals your residents and team trust. It’s easy! Just tap the 💚 next to their name.
Invite preferred professionals directly for last-minute shifts.
Set Admin Assist to auto-accept requests from preferred professionals.
With the Favorites feature, I can invite all our favorite independent professionals at once. And, our favorites know us and know our residents too! One of them even shows up early, with coffee, just to chat with me and get a sense of what’s going on with the residents that day. That kind of connection makes a difference.
The more high-performing professionals you add to your Favorites list, the stronger your network becomes. Encourage your team to favorite great professionals right after each shift to build a reliable network—so you can fill openings faster, reduce stress and keep care consistent.
4. Turn on and optimize Admin Assist
Admin Assist fills shifts automatically based on rules you define in advance. For last-minute needs, this is a time-saving essential. Because you set the parameters, you never have to sacrifice on reliability. You can even choose who delivers care in your facility. It’s automation on your terms.
How Admin Assist works
Accept shift requests from Favorites. This ensures that only requests from your preferred professionals are automatically accepted.
Accept shift requests based on Reliability Score. You can work with your Account Manager to target professionals by Reliability Score. You can also adjust reliability requirements as the shift urgency increases.
Accept shift requests from anyone. You may want to explore this setting for shifts starting in 24 hours or less. It gives you the best chance of filling a shift but provides less control over who fills a shift.
Jennifer, Staffing Coordinator at Wright’s Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, was hesitant to try Admin Assist, but now she’s hooked. When asked about the feature, she said: “I wasn’t sure about it at first, but it has given me back hours each week to devote to other duties and focus on what matters most. I’m spending less time managing the schedule and more time supporting my team and our residents.”
She also said it’s helping her do her job better, giving her more choice over who delivers care to residents, reducing burnout and even enabling her to admit more of those in need.
It’s the choice I have about who cares for our residents. It’s how Admin Assist helps make sure our residents are taken care of and admit more people who need our help. It’s also helping my team and me to feel less stressed, and I think it’s reducing burnout, too. It’s not just about saving time—it’s about getting to do my job better.
5. Plan ahead when possible
Shifts posted more than 24 hours ahead of start time are 21% more likely to be requested on average. Planning ahead supports shift visibility, team readiness and coverage overall. It also contributes to better continuity of care.
Tips for planning ahead
Encourage schedulers to create schedules earlier. The final details might evolve, but our platform makes it easy for your team to adapt to last-minute changes.
Plan for PTO. Adequate time off plays a big role in beating burnout and contributes to a healthy work-life balance, both critical to retention. The earlier you secure coverage for employees taking time off, the easier it will be to honor their requests.
Expect demand to increase during the summer and holiday seasons. When school’s out, your team may be less available. During the holidays, they’ll likely want more time with family. You can use ShiftKey to plan for seasonal surges in demand.
6. Use the ShiftKey mobile app and enable notifications
The ShiftKey Facilities app is an indispensable tool for filling last-minute shifts, giving you the flexibility to manage your schedule from anywhere. Push notifications help ensure you see all shift requests and messages. Together, they’ll speed up the process of finding an independent professional who can meet your last-minute needs.
Pro tip: To fill shifts faster, encourage administrators and schedulers to download the app and turn on notifications to stay on top of critical shift updates and messages.
Even when I’m not at my desk, I still know our residents are getting the care they deserve. The ShiftKey mobile app gives me the flexibility to keep things moving, whether I’m walking the floor or away from my laptop.
You deserve less last-minute shift stress
Emergencies happen, and the ShiftKey platform is here to support you! Download the app, contact your Account Manager to optimize your settings, and start experimenting with Premium Shifts. Our team is a message or call away if you need help.
