24/7 Health Care Systems on a 8/4 Schedule

Abstract

Consistent, continuous and cohesive health care services every hour every day is the goal of a well run 24/7 health care system. Maintaining and staffing such a system, however, with employees having a cultural work mindset of eight hour work days five days a week Monday to Friday (8/5 schedule) minus approximately 50 additional days off in a year for holidays, vacations and other allowable absences, resulting in a weekly average of an 8/4 schedule, is a very difficult task and the main topic of this article.