Reference
How medical scheduling actually works, by specialty
Every specialty schedules differently - 7-on/7-off hospital medicine, ACGME-bound residency night float, laborist shifts, trauma call. This is a working reference for whoever owns the schedule at your program, plus how RotaBay handles the patterns underneath it.
Residency programs
ACGME-accredited training programs, where every block is bound by duty-hour rules.
Internal medicine residency programs
80-hour week, averaged over 4 weeks (ACGME) · Night float rotations
See the schedule structure →Family medicine residency programs
80-hour week, averaged over 4 weeks (ACGME) · X+Y ambulatory-inpatient block model
See the schedule structure →General surgery residency programs
80-hour week, averaged over 4 weeks (ACGME) · Traditional q3 / q4 in-house call
See the schedule structure →Hospital medicine & specialty call
In-hospital physician groups running round-the-clock coverage or an on-call rotation.
Hospitalist programs
7-on / 7-off block scheduling · Shift-only coverage (no call)
See the schedule structure →Emergency medicine departments
Self-scheduling shift pools · Circadian-conscious clockwise rotation
See the schedule structure →Anesthesiology departments and groups
Anesthesia Care Team model · Regular-duty vs. on-call split
See the schedule structure →Radiology practices and departments
Nighthawk / teleradiology overnight coverage · Subspecialty day shifts, generalist night shifts
See the schedule structure →OB/GYN hospitalist (laborist) programs
24-hour laborist shift model · L&D-focused coverage with adjacent duties
See the schedule structure →Pediatric hospitalist and inpatient programs
Shift-only coverage less common than in adult hospital medicine · Dedicated pediatric nocturnist model
See the schedule structure →ICU / critical care programs
Traditional "7 days on" continuous coverage · Shared-service two-week block model
See the schedule structure →Cardiology groups and cath labs
Dedicated STEMI / interventional call rotation · Weeklong STEMI call blocks
See the schedule structure →Inpatient psychiatry programs
Short weekday call plus 24-hour weekend call · Telepsychiatry after-hours coverage
See the schedule structure →Neurology / stroke call programs
Teleneurology / telestroke supplemental or primary coverage · Rapid-response stroke call pool
See the schedule structure →Orthopedic trauma call programs
Mixed call model with trauma-trained triage · Dedicated orthopedic trauma call pool
See the schedule structure →Clinics & practice groups
Outpatient practices and staffing groups scheduling around clinic hours and after-hours call.
Urology group practices
Rotating call pool (traditional 1-in-4 model) · Weeklong call blocks with reduced clinic load
See the schedule structure →Urgent care clinics
Minimum two-provider staffing at higher-volume sites · Lean 1:1 staffing for lower-volume clinics
See the schedule structure →Community health centers / FQHCs
Team-based care scheduling · Multi-site provider scheduling
See the schedule structure →Locum tenens staffing groups
Agency-assigned scheduling consultant · Short-term assignments filling gaps in a host schedule
See the schedule structure →Beyond physician scheduling
Nursing, pharmacy, imaging, advanced-practice and veterinary teams - the same fairness problem, a different roster.
CRNA / anesthesia care team staffing
Rotating call at roughly 1-in-8 frequency · Mixed shift-length structures
See the schedule structure →Hospital nursing units
12-hour shifts as the predominant structure · Self-scheduling within unit parameters
See the schedule structure →NP / PA advanced practice provider teams
NP/PA first-call triage under physician protocols · Rotating call pools mirroring physician structures
See the schedule structure →Hospital pharmacy departments
Written departmental staffing plan for coverage gaps · Remote/telepharmacy overnight coverage
See the schedule structure →Outpatient imaging centers
Cross-training across modalities · Volume-driven hourly staffing
See the schedule structure →Veterinary practices
Weekly on-call rotation · Split-shift after-hours coverage
See the schedule structure →Generate your first schedule free
Set your shifts and rules, RotaBay builds a fair, rule-compliant schedule in seconds.