For nurses and nurse managers
Nurse scheduling with 12-hour shifts, safe rest and fair weekends
Days and nights of 12 hours, a minimum on every shift, nurses who want a say in their weekends, and a sick call at 5 am. ScheduleSolve drafts the unit’s schedule from your rules and the days each nurse can and cannot work.
The short answer
Nurse scheduling is the job of putting enough nurses, with the right skills, on every day and night shift, while each nurse gets rest, a fair share of weekends and a say in when they work. Many units use 12-hour shifts, 7 to 7, and three shifts a week for a full-time nurse.
ScheduleSolve drafts the unit’s schedule from your minimums, the days each nurse can’t or would rather not work, and your rules: rest between shifts, days in a row and fair weekends. A Must rule is never broken. If the minimum cannot be met, the shift stays open and the summary says why.
Written by Maren Vellory, Operations Manager · Updated October 19, 2026
Sound familiar?
-
Every shift needs a minimum number of nurses, and some need a charge nurse.
With ScheduleSolve: Set the minimum for each shift. A draft never goes under it to keep a rule; it leaves the gap and says why.
-
Nights next to days break rest, and three 12s in a row is the limit for many nurses.
With ScheduleSolve: Must: at least 11 hours of rest between shifts, and nobody works more than 3 days in a row.
-
Nurses want a say in their weekends and their days off.
With ScheduleSolve: Nurses say in the app which days they can’t or would rather not work. Every draft takes it in.
An example week: Med-surg
15 people and 2 shifts in one area, filled by the same engine as the app. Gray cells are days a person said they can’t work. The rules: at least 11 hours of rest between shifts (Must), nobody works more than 3 days in a row (Must), and weekends are shared fairly (Try to).
- Day 7–7: 3 a day
- Night 7–7: 3 a day
| Person | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hannah | Off | Off | Off | Day7–7 | Day7–7 | Off | Day7–7 | 36most 36 |
| Jorge | Day7–7 | Day7–7 | Off | Off | Off | Night7–7 | Off | 36most 36 |
| Aaliyah | Night7–7 | Off | Off | Off | Night7–7 | Can’t work | Night7–7 | 36most 36 |
| Wei | Off | Off | Day7–7 | Night7–7 | Night7–7 | Off | Off | 36most 36 |
| Bridget | Off | Night7–7 | Off | Day7–7 | Off | Off | Day7–7 | 36most 36 |
| Kwame | Off | Day7–7 | Off | Off | Off | Night7–7 | Night7–7 | 36most 36 |
| Sara | Off | Off | Day7–7 | Night7–7 | Night7–7 | Off | Off | 36most 36 |
| Tomasz | Day7–7 | Off | Off | Day7–7 | Off | Day7–7 | Off | 36most 36 |
| Leila | Can’t work | Night7–7 | Off | Can’t work | Off | Day7–7 | Day7–7 | 36most 36 |
| Derek | Night7–7 | Night7–7 | Off | Off | Off | Off | Night7–7 | 36most 36 |
| Nkechi | Night7–7 | Off | Day7–7 | Off | Off | Off | Off | 24most 36 |
| Paolo | Off | Off | Off | Off | Day7–7 | Night7–7 | Off | 24most 24 |
| Ivy | Day7–7 | Day7–7 | Night7–7 | Off | Off | Off | Off | 36most 36 |
| Raj | Off | Off | Night7–7 | Night7–7 | Off | Off | Off | 24most 36 |
| Megan | Off | Off | Night7–7 | Off | Day7–7 | Day7–7 | Can’t work | 36most 36 |
Every shift is filled: 42 places, and every Must rule holds.
In the app, the same week also takes in each person’s areas and skills, time off and the days they would rather not work. Open this example in the free schedule maker →
How to schedule nurses
Nurse scheduling has three goals that pull against each other: safe cover on every shift, rest for every nurse, and a schedule nurses feel they had a say in. These steps are how many nurse managers balance them. With ScheduleSolve, the draft keeps steps 3 to 6.
1. Set the minimum for each shift, and the skill mix
Write the least number of nurses each unit can run with on days and nights, and the number you want. Some shifts also need a charge nurse or a nurse with a skill such as telemetry. Make those their own areas, with at least 1 person each, and mark the nurses who can work them. Some places set staffing numbers by law or by contract; check yours and use them as the minimum.
2. Choose your 12-hour pattern
Many hospital units use 12-hour shifts, 7 to 7, and three shifts a week for a full-time nurse, about 36 hours. Some use 8-hour shifts, or a mix with a short day. You can draft each period from your rules, or follow a fixed rotation such as 3 on 3 off, 4 on 4 off or a 3-crew 12-hour schedule. A fixed rotation is easy to plan a life around; a draft adapts to time off and changing needs.
3. Make rest and days in a row Must rules
With 12-hour shifts, the risk is a Night that ends at 7 am followed by a Day at 7 am, or four 12s in a row. Set “Must: at least 11 hours of rest between shifts” and “Must: nobody works more than 3 days in a row”. Mark them as required, so they are never relaxed when cover is short.
4. Keep nights in blocks and share them
Many nurses prefer nights in a block, not one night between days, because the body clock needs time to switch. The rest rule already stops a Day straight after a Night. Share the nights with “Try to: Night shifts are shared evenly” unless some nurses chose fixed nights.
5. Make weekends fair, and visible
Weekends are the most common complaint about a nurse schedule. Set “Try to: weekends are shared fairly over 12 weeks”. The draft counts the weekends each nurse worked in that time and gives the next ones to the nurses with fewer. Tap Why? on a cell to see the reason.
6. Give nurses a say: self-scheduling, in part
In classic self-scheduling, nurses pick their own shifts on an open grid, and the manager fixes the gaps after. ScheduleSolve works the other way around. Before the draft, each nurse says in the staff app which days they can’t work and which they would rather not, and asks for time off. The draft takes all of it in: a “can’t” is never filled, and a “would rather not” is followed when cover allows. After posting, nurses pick up open shifts and swap with colleagues who can work them. It gives nurses a real say, without the weeks of back and forth.
7. Post early and change little
Post the schedule weeks ahead, so nurses can plan child care and study. When something changes, change as little as you can. ScheduleSolve tells only the nurses whose shifts changed, with what changed.
8. Fix the 5 am sick call with the fewest changes
When a nurse calls in sick, look first for a free nurse who knows the unit, then a float, then an offer to everyone who can work it. Each option in ScheduleSolve keeps the rest rule and days in a row. If nobody can work it, the shift stays open and you see it at once.
For clinics and care homes, see healthcare staff scheduling. To try a 12-hour week now, open the example below in the free schedule maker.
Your words, your rules
ScheduleSolve does not come with fixed job types or codes. You name your areas and shifts, and your rules read as plain sentences. For example:
- Areas
- Med-surgTelemetryCharge nurseFloat pool
- Shifts
- Day 7–7Night 7–7Short day 7–3
- People needed
- Med-surg, day and night: at least 3 nurses, ideally 4.
Start from the Nursing unit template to get areas and shifts like these, then change anything.
The rules you would set
Each rule starts from one of the app’s rule templates, with your own numbers.
- Must: at least 11 hours of rest between shifts.
- Must: nobody works more than 3 days in a row.
- Try to: weekends are shared fairly over 12 weeks.
- Try to: Night shifts are shared evenly, within 2 of each other each month.
A Must rule always holds. A Try to rule holds when it can. You can also type a rule in your own words; ScheduleSolve shows the rule it understood before it is added. How rules work
Shift patterns that fit nurses
Each pattern page has a calendar for each crew, the hours per week and a file to download.
- 3 on 3 off schedule · 12-hour shifts, 24/7
- 4 on 4 off schedule · 12-hour shifts, 24/7
- 3-crew 12-hour schedule · 12-hour shifts, 24/7
- Compare all shift patterns →
What changes for you
A draft, not a blank grid
ScheduleSolve drafts the whole period from your people, needs and rules.
Only the decisions
Home, your list of decisions, shows time off requests, open shifts and changes to approve.
Only the right people told
Post once. Each person gets their shifts. After a change, only the people affected hear about it.
Sick calls, fixed fast
Someone can’t come? Home shows the smallest fix: a free person, a spare person or an offer.
What ScheduleSolve does not do
- ScheduleSolve does not let nurses pick their shifts on an open grid before the draft. They say when they can’t and would rather not work, pick up open shifts and swap. The draft does the rest.
- It does not check licenses or certifications, or track their expiry. You mark who knows each unit and who can be in charge.
- It does not set staffing by patient numbers or acuity. You set the minimum and the ideal for each shift.
- It has no time clock and does not run payroll. It exports the hours by pay code.
Questions
Does ScheduleSolve support self-scheduling for nurses?
In part. Nurses say in the staff app which days they can’t work and which they would rather not, ask for time off, pick up open shifts and swap with colleagues. The draft takes all of it in. Nurses do not pick shifts on an open grid before the draft.
Can it schedule 12-hour shifts?
Yes. Make Day 7–7 and Night 7–7 your shifts. The rest rule counts the hours from the end of a Night to the start of the next shift, so a Night that ends at 7 am is never followed by a Day that starts at 7 am.
How does it keep weekends fair?
Turn on “Try to: weekends are shared fairly over 12 weeks”. The draft counts the weekends each nurse worked in that time and gives the next ones to the nurses with fewer. Tap Why? on a cell to see the reason.
Can I make sure every shift has a charge nurse?
Make Charge nurse its own area, with at least 1 person on each shift, and mark the nurses who can take charge. Only they are put there or offered that shift.
What if a nurse calls in sick for tonight?
Mark the nurse as sick, or the nurse reports it in the app. Home shows the smallest fix: a free nurse who knows the unit, a float, or an offer to everyone who can work it. Every option keeps the rest rule.
Does it know the nurse staffing law where I work?
No. Some places set minimum staffing, rest or overtime rules by law or contract. Type them as Must rules and mark them as required. Check the rules with the person responsible where you work.
Get your evenings back.
Upload your spreadsheet and get a draft today. 7 days free, no card needed.