Set up Schedule for your clinic

Clinic admins set up Schedule in Clinic Settings → Schedule. A few minutes here makes building each week much faster. Everything on these tabs saves as you go. A Saved message pops up with an Undo button in case you change your mind.

1. Choose your features

Open the Features tab. Everything here is optional. With it all off you get a classic weekly scheduler. Turn on only what your clinic actually runs in houndkit. If you've turned things on and want to start over, Back to classic switches them all back without deleting anything you've set up. Once a feature is on, a Set up link next to its switch takes you to the tab where you set it up.

Staffing blocks

• Shift types & staffing needs: a shift type like Surgery says how many of each role it needs. See Shift types and staffing coverage.
• Skills: requires shift types.

Filling shifts

• Work preferences & availability: staff say when they prefer to work, prefer not to, or can't.
• Auto-fill a week: requires work preferences. See Auto-fill a week.
• Open shifts & call-outs: see Pick up an open shift.
• Shift swaps (on by default).

Time off

• Custom request questions, Too-many-off warnings and Blackout dates. See Manage time off.

Money & hours

• Hourly rates & labor cost (on by default): turn it off if payroll software already owns rates. Hours still show.
• Hours warnings: overtime, short rest and too many days in a row.

Reminders & sharing

• Shift reminders: pings people the night before a shift. Once it's on, set the time under Send reminders at. It's 6:00 pm unless you change it. Reminders only go out for published weeks.
• Personal calendar subscription (on by default).
• Post to the Clinic Feed on publish: needs the Clinic Feed tool on.

2. Add job roles

On the Job roles tab, tap + Add role, enter a name like CSR, Tech or DVM, pick a color, and tap Add role.

• If labor cost is on, add an hourly rate. It's optional.
• Tap + Sub-role on a role to add levels under it (for example, Vet Assistant, then Tech 1 and Tech 2). A sub-role without its own rate uses its parent's.
• Drag roles to reorder them. The Scheduler uses the same order.
• Tap the pencil to edit a role, then Save role.

3. Save shift templates

Templates make adding a shift one click. On the Shifts tab, under Shift templates, tap + Add template and fill in:

• A Name and Job role
• Hours and an Unpaid break (houndkit shows the paid hours as you go)
• An optional Shift label, a Color, and Shift notes that are copied onto every shift made from it

Then tap Add template.

You can also save any shift as a template while building the week.

4. Tell houndkit who works which role

If you use too-many-off warnings, open shifts or auto-fill, use Who works which role on the Job roles tab to tap each person's roles.

Next: Build and publish a week.