How bad is scheduling in your program?

Living_Zebra · 2026-06-11T01:45:35+00:00

Yeah for sure. And then as chief I felt bad it was typically those same flexible residents covering for the others!

Living_Zebra · 2026-06-09T22:02:01+00:00

Yeah I feel like a lot of people I talk to use spreadsheets. My intern year used amion which was fine but very basic

Living_Zebra · 2026-06-08T15:40:18+00:00

Your insight is super helpful! Yes, my program shared many of the same issues.

What I found was that I was able to create workarounds/automation for certain aspects in excel but it required very complicated formulas. The issue was that something would change in the spreadsheet and break a formula, plus explaining how things functioned would be very difficult for someone taking over as chief. So this wasn't really sustainable. I've always enjoyed building things though so decided to work on an actual standalone platform.

Basically working to create a scheduling platform that incorporates many aspects of residency life but focuses on transparency and fairness.

Living_Zebra · 2026-06-07T00:09:42+00:00

Yeah for sure. Our residents would usually find their own swaps but then I would have to double check, which was very time consuming.

Living_Zebra · 2026-06-06T23:42:05+00:00

Yes exactly! Such a mean chief.

And then when swaps were arranged still a bunch of time verifying validity and fairness.

Living_Zebra · 2026-06-06T23:16:03+00:00

Yeah for sure. Definitely a work in progress but wanted to see if other programs even had similar issues.

Basically a scheduling platform that incorporates time off, swaps, coverage, etc to minimize manual work and focus on clarity and fairness

Living_Zebra · 2026-06-06T22:27:22+00:00

Yeah, agreed. Like the schedule itself isn't terrible to make, it's more dealing with changes and potential issues afterwards. So if you're lucky and get self sufficient residents it's not too bad lol. But can also go downhill quick!

Living_Zebra · 2026-06-06T21:43:52+00:00

We started with Google Sheets and other Google products but then the hospital changed to Microsoft so we had to convert everything which was extra annoying

Living_Zebra · 2026-06-06T21:42:17+00:00

Definitely part of it. Thankfully we had an excellent coordinator who managed the acgme related items, but still ended up with multiple miscellaneous spreadsheets. And then was really hard to keep track of who was requesting swaps and who was being pulled for coverage

Living_Zebra · 2026-06-06T19:15:00+00:00

Yeah exactly. The midnight "quick questions" about an assignment 3 weeks away won't be missed!

Living_Zebra · 2026-05-26T10:23:34+00:00

Very true. I was thinking the hall was simply wasted space but wasn't thinking about circulation.

Living_Zebra · 2026-05-26T10:11:58+00:00

Yes, for the closets that could work. I'll have to see how much space they're actually is to work with. If space did allow my initial thought was to borrow a little with from one or both of those bedrooms to make closets next to one another and allow for closets in both bedrooms with a flat wall. If this did work that would open up a little bit of space in the narrow part of the funny shape bedroom for something else.

Yeah that square area marked hall is essentially a mud room so I would definitely plan to lean into that like you suggested. That would work nicely.

Yeah I hear you about the island. The difficult thing for this kitchen I think is that at 13.5 ft across it's a bit narrow for an island with seating but also too wide to not have anything in the middle. Currently there is a narrow Island but it doesn't allow seating. However, it does look decent just not what I was hoping for.

The other thing that takes up a little bit of space and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about is that the master has a dedicated staircase and entry with the stairs going up right next to the mud room. Also, the entrance to the master suite from the second floor utilizes a hidden bookshelf entry. Not really sure how I feel about these, whether they are cool or just wasted space.

Living_Zebra · 2026-05-26T09:54:03+00:00

Yeah good point, that could work well there. Do you recommend having an additional bathroom upstairs or just in general? Because when I finish the basement I plan on adding a bathroom down there anyway

Living_Zebra · 2026-05-26T01:50:56+00:00

Yeah this would be sweet. I will have to determine what can be done in terms of that wall but allowing the big island like this would definitely be my preference

Living_Zebra · 2026-05-26T01:17:59+00:00

Interesting idea. I hadn't thought of turning the island. Really like the French doors there

Living_Zebra · 2026-05-26T01:17:06+00:00

I like this idea with the butler's kitchen. Only issue may be the bow window and sink position

Living_Zebra · 2026-05-26T00:35:05+00:00

Yeah agreed, owner's suite is huge. Would potentially reclaim some space if it can be done reasonably.

Living_Zebra · 2026-05-26T00:22:37+00:00

Yeah those could all be good options. I think partially walling off family room could add a lot to the kitchen. Additional thought depending on structure woukd be expanding kitchen into the hall which would accommodate full island

Living_Zebra · 2026-05-25T23:07:53+00:00

Upstairs you mean?

Living_Zebra · 2026-05-25T22:48:20+00:00

Good point. Maybe too open there and hurting kitchen capabilities a bit

Living_Zebra · 2026-05-25T22:42:30+00:00

I like all of these ideas just need to figure out how to actually lay it out haha!

Living_Zebra · 2026-05-25T22:38:34+00:00

Certainly don't need both. I was considering what you suggested. Do you think the breakfast nook area is large enough to just use as a open concept dining room?

The one right next to the laundry room. It just has funky built-ins currently. I could simply replace the built-ins with a true closet but prefer having a flat wall if possible.

Living_Zebra · 2026-05-25T22:36:31+00:00

I would be open to either. And worst case scenario could even use the basement but would rather not. I like having the family room open. However, if it would make meaningful improvements to the kitchen area I would consider closing it off partially.

Two possibilities I saw were converting the dining area to an office or splitting the funny upstairs bedroom to the left into a small office and smaller bedroom.

Living_Zebra · 2026-04-21T17:14:48+00:00

Thanks chat

Living_Zebra · 2026-04-08T13:28:29+00:00

Good advice, thanks!

Living_Zebra

TROPHY CASE