Shift scheduling for veterinarians and vet techs
Put your ER and general practice doctors and techs on one schedule. Capillary won't save double-booked shifts, wrong roles, short turnarounds or shifts during approved PTO.
Harbor Animal Hospital
Sample department, minimum rest 10 hours
Week of Oct 12
Swipe the board sideways to see the whole week.
| Shift | Mon12 | Tue13 | Wed14 | Thu15 | Fri16 | Sat17 | Sun18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day doctor07:00 to 19:00 | Hudson | Kobayashi | Saleh | Fletcher | Ferreira | Ortega | Webb |
| Day tech 107:00 to 19:00 | Lima | Gallagher | Okoro | Carter | Salazar | Stone | Baptiste |
| Day tech 207:00 to 19:00 | Morales | Kowalski | Collins | Whitman | Baptiste | Lima | Jensen |
| GP doctor08:00 to 18:00 | Iyer | Ferreira | Brandt | Iyer | Park | ||
| GP tech08:00 to 18:00 | Collins | Salazar | Anderson | Gallagher | Kowalski | ||
| Swing doctor12:00 to 00:00 +1 | Ortega | Webb | Hudson | Kobayashi | Saleh | Iyer | Fletcher |
| Swing tech12:00 to 00:00 +1 | Whitman | Jensen | Morales | Stone | Holloway | Collins | Carter |
| Overnight doctor19:00 to 07:00 +1 | Fletcher | Park | Ortega | Webb | Brandt | Hudson | Kobayashi |
| Overnight tech 119:00 to 07:00 +1 | Carter | Holloway | Lima | Rahim | Morales | Gallagher | Kowalski |
| Overnight tech 219:00 to 07:00 +1 | Baptiste | Rahim | Jensen | Okoro | Anderson | Whitman | Salazar |
- Day
- Night
- Vet tech
- Sample names. +1 means the shift ends the next morning.
The shifts in the veterinary hospital template
ER doctors and techs around the clock, a swing doctor and tech for the evening rush, and a weekday general practice.
- An ER doctor and two techs work each 12-hour day and overnight.
- A swing doctor and a swing tech work 12:00 to 00:00, through the evening rush.
- A GP doctor and a GP tech see general practice appointments Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00.
| Shift | Group | Hours | Who works it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day doctor | Veterinarian | 07:00 to 19:0012 hours | Shared by the team |
| Day tech 1 | Vet tech | 07:00 to 19:0012 hours | Shared by the team |
| Day tech 2 | Vet tech | 07:00 to 19:0012 hours | Shared by the team |
| GP doctor | Veterinarian | 08:00 to 18:0010 hours, Monday to Friday | Shared by the team |
| GP tech | Vet tech | 08:00 to 18:0010 hours, Monday to Friday | Shared by the team |
| Swing doctor | Veterinarian | 12:00 to 00:0012 hours | Shared by the team |
| Swing tech | Vet tech | 12:00 to 00:0012 hours | Shared by the team |
| Overnight doctor | Veterinarian | 19:00 to 07:0012 hours | Shared by the team |
| Overnight tech 1 | Vet tech | 19:00 to 07:0012 hours | Shared by the team |
| Overnight tech 2 | Vet tech | 19:00 to 07:0012 hours | Shared by the team |
Set it up in Capillary
- 1
Create the department
Name it, then set its time zone and minimum rest. When clocks spring forward, back-to-back 12-hour shifts leave 11 hours of rest, so a 12-hour minimum blocks that save.
- 2
Add the template
In Build schedule, pick Veterinary hospital under Start from a department template. It fills an empty month with the ER's 8 shifts every day and the 2 general practice shifts on weekdays, ready to assign.
- 3
Add your team
Add your veterinarians and vet techs one at a time, or import them from a CSV file.
- 4
Assign the shifts
Filter the schedule to one group at a time. Only veterinarians can fill doctor shifts, and only vet techs can fill tech shifts.
- 5
Publish
Everyone sees the published month, and each person can add their shifts to a phone calendar.
Every save is checked
Saving stops at the first assignment that breaks a rule and names the shift and the rule. Capillary checks role, overlapping shifts, the department’s minimum rest, approved time off and each person’s published shifts at their other sites in Capillary.
Example messages
- Day doctor: less than 10 hours of rest from Swing doctor on Oct 11.
- Overnight tech 1: clinician does not match the required role.
What it does not do yet
- Veterinary assistants, kennel staff and client service representatives are not on the schedule.
- It does not book appointments or route house calls.
- It does not build the month for you. You choose who works each shift, and Capillary checks each choice.
What the scheduler does
The same features serve every department. Each has a short guide with a worked example.
- Every staff groupPhysicians, APPs, nurses, veterinarians, vet techs and therapists, with a filter for each.
- Rule checksRole, overlap, rest and time off, checked on every save.
- Drafts and publishingA private draft until you publish, with who published and when.
- Requests and time offDay requests and time off, sent before your due date.
- Shift preferencesFewest, ideal and most shifts, and how you rate each shift.
- TradesSwaps and giveaways, checked before anyone agrees.
- Sick callsAn open shift offered to the group, then backup.
- Two or more sitesOne account and one calendar link for every site.
- Roster CSVImport a roster from a spreadsheet and export the month.
- Hours trackerHours, nights and short rests from any calendar link.
- Shift analyticsYour hardest shifts, with the rest before each one.
- Free swap finderSwaps that work for both people, from your group's calendar.
Human medicine departments
Start your schedule
Create an account, add the veterinary hospital template and publish your first month. No credit card or patient data is needed.