Make a call schedule

Enter who shares call, the dates (4 weeks to 3 months) and the nights each person can't take. Total calls, Friday and Saturday nights, and holidays are split as evenly as possible, one person on call each night. If interns and seniors take call separately, make one schedule for each group; if a team takes call together, enter the team as one person.

People taking call (5)

2 to 12 people.

Nights someone can't take call

For the ACGME check, vacation and other leave come out of that person's average; nights they're working somewhere else stay in. Uncheck "On leave" for those.

None yet. Pick a person and the nights, then Mark these nights unavailable.

Holidays

Holidays switched on are shared out as evenly as Friday and Saturday nights. Select a holiday to switch it on or off.

30 nights, Sun, Nov 1 to Mon, Nov 30, one person on call each night.

Calls each
6
Friday or Saturday nights each
1 to 2
Holidays each
0 to 1
Nights with nobody on call
0
  • Meets the ACGME limit for in-house call: no more often than every third night, averaged over each month. The closest is Resident A, with 6 of the 10 calls allowed in November.Not checked here: the 80-hour week, one day off in seven, and time off after 24-hour call.

November 2026

Who is on call each night, November 2026
MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday
1, Resident A
2, Resident B3, Resident C4, Resident D5, Resident E6, Resident A7, Resident B8, Resident C
9, Resident D10, Resident E11, Resident A12, Resident B13, Resident C14, Resident D15, Resident E
16, Resident A17, Resident B18, Resident C19, Resident D20, Resident E21, Resident A22, Resident B
23, Resident C24, Resident D25, Resident E26, Resident A, Thanksgiving27, Resident B28, Resident C29, Resident D
30, Resident E

Grey: Friday and Saturday nights. Dark circle: a holiday that counts. Dashed amber: nobody on call.

Each person's calls

Calls per person, Sun, Nov 1 to Mon, Nov 30
PersonCallsFriday or Saturday nightsHolidaysClosest two callsFarthest apart
Resident A621q5 (4 nights between)q5 (4 nights between)
Resident B620q5 (4 nights between)q5 (4 nights between)
Resident C620q5 (4 nights between)q5 (4 nights between)
Resident D610q5 (4 nights between)q5 (4 nights between)
Resident E610q5 (4 nights between)q5 (4 nights between)

Everyone gets the same number of calls, give or take one, even after leave, so leave puts someone's calls closer together. Sharing Friday, Saturday and holiday nights evenly can do the same, but never closer than you chose.

A spreadsheet with the date, weekday, person and call type for each night.

How call is shared

  • Each night goes to someone who can take call that night and was last on call long enough ago for the setting you chose, such as q3.
  • Everyone gets the same number of calls, Friday or Saturday nights and holidays, give or take one, as far as the nights people can't take allow, and nobody's calls are closer together than they need to be.
  • If someone has to take an extra call, they get fewer Friday, Saturday or holiday nights.
  • A night nobody can take is left with nobody on call, and the planner says why.
  • For in-house call, it keeps each person within the ACGME limit of every third night where it can, and names anyone over. It averages as the ACGME's FAQ says: over each month or 4-week block, never a rolling window, and with leave left out; here the nights someone can't take call count as leave.

It doesn't check the 80-hour week, one day off in seven or time off after 24-hour call. To check those for a whole program before you publish, use the program check with your program's calendar file.

The planner runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere or saved, so closing the page clears it; download the CSV to keep the schedule.

For the rules, see the guide to in-house call, home call, q3 and q4.

Common questions

What is the difference between the call types?
Nights only: in the hospital for the night. 24-hour call: a day and the night after it, so the planner shows the rules that follow it: at least 14 hours free afterwards, and no more than 24 hours of scheduled work plus up to 4 for handoffs. Home call is taken from home: it isn't held to every third night, but it can't fall on a day off.
Which holidays does it count?
New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. Turn on any other federal holiday in your dates, or add a day of your own, such as Easter.
Can I change a night by hand?
Not on this page. Block that night for the person and the planner remakes the schedule around it, which can move other nights too. Or download the CSV and edit it in a spreadsheet.
Can I use the result elsewhere?
Download the CSV. Excel and Google Sheets open it.

Sources

  1. ACGME Common Program Requirements (Residency), effective July 1, 2026

Run your schedule in Capillary

In Capillary, a program or department publishes call to everyone's phone calendar. Before a swap goes through, Capillary checks that the colleague's role fits the shift, that they aren't on leave or another shift, and that they still get enough rest.

See Capillary's demo or see pricing.

Share this planner

Copy or send the link from your phone or email. It opens an empty planner; to share your plan, send the CSV.

Share with your colleagues

Your phone or email app sends it, from you. Capillary doesn't send anything.

https://capillaryhealth.com/tools?s=

The code at the end only counts visits from shared links. It is random and not tied to you or your calendar.

Text itEmail it

The person who opens the link sees the tool, not your numbers.

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