By: Kim Eby - Chief, St. Croix EMS & Rescue, Hudson, WI
Our agency, St. Croix EMS & Rescue, is located in Hudson, WI which is on the banks of the scenic St. Croix River. We serve approximately 27,500 citizens and we complete about 2,000 calls annually. Our agency is made up of four full-time paramedics, 12 part-time/casual paramedics and 30 part-time/casual EMT’s.
Before Moving Online: (To the Cloud)
In the “old days” - when I was the scheduler, I would sit down with a legal pad of paper and write down all open shifts for both the medics and EMT’s. From there I would email out all the open shifts and wait for everyone to get back to me. Then I would go through everyone’s availability and try to balance it out, making sure everyone got a shift they requested. Finally, I’d post it on a piece of paper and send it to the crews so everyone knew when they were working for the month. If you can relate, then you know exactly how time consuming it was for me - and the staff!
That was just the scheduling portion of our process. If anyone had a shift-trade, or needed time off, emails were being sent out like crazy. There were times when people didn’t even know who they were on duty with. And, if we left a message for someone and they didn’t respond, we wouldn’t know if anyone was going to show up or not. Our staff got tired of emails coming out constantly and not knowing what was going on with the schedule. And, I was tired of the stress from managing the schedule, and dealing with our member’s frustrations every day.
In addition, our staff didn’t think they really had a say in the schedule. They weren’t really sure if they could make a change even though they really wanted to. They felt it was a big hassle to try to make a change so they wouldn’t do it; rightfully so, they would get irritated.
Yes! We Put Our Heads In the Cloud:
The turnabout with our scheduling problems was when we eliminated our old scheduling method completely and subscribed to Aladtec’s EMS Manager - Online Scheduling and Workforce Management System. Since this web based software system is online - or - in the cloud, all information is stored and accessed through the Internet. Most of us at St. Croix EMS & Rescue already had experience with cloud based services...for banking, email services and social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. It just made sense that public service agencies and businesses take advantage of the quick easy access to online software too, so we jumped on board!
Although any change in life, and in EMS, is often difficult because once we get familiar with something, it’s hard to change. The biggest hurdle we had when switching from paper to our online Aladtec’s EMS Manager system was making sure everyone actually used it instead of reverting back to our old paper method. At first it took a little time for people to get used to it. The online process at work was something new for them.
After just a few times of logging in to the system, they became more comfortable and found it very easy to maneuver. Once we got everyone in the habit of using it, everything ran very smoothly and they really liked the new system.
Every month, our staff has to submit their schedule availability on a certain date. Members can now go into the “Availability Section” in Aladtec’s EMS Manager and add their availability so our staffing person can generate the schedule. From there, it takes him only a couple hours to make sure everything is good to go before he publishes it for all to see.
Members think it’s great to be able to be in more control of their schedule and know that they can pick up the shifts they want, when they want, and they can do it without having to call someone at the office to try to put them on the schedule. We aren’t fielding any calls, texts or emails with questions as to what’s available. And in turn, we aren’t trying to constantly find people to fill an open shift. Obviously not everything is going to be up to them with the schedule, but at least this gives them a chance to have some control over what happens with their schedule. They are notified through the system if there is a last minute shift available and they can decide whether or not to sign up for it without contacting the office. They are also able to see who they were working with for every shift. Since putting Aladtec’s EMS Manager in play, shifts have filled up faster and we have fewer holes in the schedule as well.
In addition to the online scheduling aspect of Aladtec’s EMS Manager, we use many of its other features and enjoy the associated benefits of these as well:
• Certification Tracking
• Event Calendar
• Customized Reports
• Member Database
• Group Messaging
• Library
• Mobility
We find the overall favorite aspect of Aladtec’s EMS Manager, for both our administrators and our staff, is the mobility piece…Aladtec’s EMS Manager System is available anywhere at any time. Staff and management can login from any device that accesses the Internet, be it a desktop computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet. Members can see their schedule, who they are scheduled with, request time off, or make a trade. Many work at other agencies and/or have other jobs so this is extremely important to them. As the Chief, it’s easy for me to jump online and access our system and get done what needs to be done wherever I am. I’ve found myself approving signups and approving time off more often while away from work because I can do it from my smartphone. It’s so convenient!
My Conclusion:
After using Aladtec’s EMS Manager for three years, we’ve found it’s become avery important “member” of our department. And it’s very affordable; the yearly subscription is paid for after only one or two calls. Our return on investment is met right away, so it’s a no brainer for us to renew every year. No one at our agency would be happy if for some reason we had to revert back to the old scheduling process. We’ve loved every aspect of Aladtec’s EMS Manager, it’s simply great!
Watch St. Croix EMS Video Customer Report and More Aladtec Videos at: www.YouTube.com/Aladtec