PetalMD Software

Pros

-free trial allowed all of our clinicians and staff to try it out
-able to schedule various shifts for staff members

Cons

-it was not easy to train all of us to use it without expiring the trial version
-many great features are not available in the trial version so we were hesitant to purchase this

Pros

The ease of use; on both the desktop, laptop and my iphone. In addition - the push button notifications help me to pick up shifts quickly; or respond to messages from my colleagues.

Cons

I actually don't have any complaints about it. PetalMD is much better than the previous software we were using.

Pros

having as app and having it integrate to my gmail calendar is great. allows my staff to put in their absences instead of randomly emailing me dates.

Cons

It is not easy for my staff to see when a shift is "open" (they have to see who has posted it to know it is an open shift as the name is assigned to our administrator). It would be good if folks could see all open shifts in a different color so it easily distinguishes and highlights open shifts. I also would like if I could post ALL the open shifts at once or all shifts of one provider at once to open (eg. if they go on mat leave/sick / leave etc). to manually post all to market place is tedious.

Pros

can add personal scheduling to one calendar
- easy to see marketplace shifts available for trade or transfer

Cons

difficult to see other colleagues schedules for greater than one week. makes trading a little more difficult

Pros

The site is never down. The app is responsive. The menu system and over all interface is great and easy to navigate.

Cons

It's hard for staff to figure out who is on call. there is no roster view for staff to see team information. The oncall dashboard view only can be viewed one week at a time. Learners have the ability to take their phone number off their profile so nurses don't have contact information when a learner isn't on call. Administrators don't have access to add phone numbers to learner profiles.

There should be note boxes for each profile to include notes about each learner which would be helpful for posting leave of absence/vacation information. This would help chief residents make schedules completely on your site.

Cons

Looks ok to me most of the time but issues are with the functioning of it. It's very hard to swap or trade a shift. Too much colours are going on. Not intuitive. Very poor in taking suggestions. Overall needs a lot of improvement. Additionally takes too much interface time...nothing to use on the phone as an app.

Efficient- time saving, the ability for trainees to enter their own absences.

Pros

Fairly straightforward system; user friendly. Scheduling is straightforward and significantly time saving

Cons

Entering of absence requests for large groups ( example trainees) was more user friendly and clearer visually then current iteration.

Pros

I like the calendar format and ability to easily switch between specialty call schedules. I also like that I am able to use it on my phone as well as laptop.

Cons

Inability with current package to let the software make the scheduling decisions. I understand that this due to the package that my department has purchased but it is an issue with my use of the software.
The second issue I have is the ease of use for scheduling is not that user friendly. I have to try things a couple of times to figure out the right way to do things. That said customer service is excellent and has always helped me figure out any issues I may have.

Pros

Easy to navigate. Intuitive. Reasonable mobile interface. Has a great web-based interface. Cost is affordable.

Cons

Shift trades for shifts on the Marketplace are awkward. Mobile interface is not as user-friendly or as functional as the web-based version.

I get my schedule every trimester and mail with my colleagues

Pros

Internet accessible, overall good, syncs with other calendars, mail is good to use, easy to see my colleagues schedule

Cons

in the app, some tasks are not intuitive (change a shift, insert vacation). Also, the automatic scheduler tends to do weird things like make sure you work an evening before a day off and doesn't regroup shifts easily (lots of lonely shifts)

Confidental means of communication.

Pros

I like the email function and that it is secure. it allows me to communicate with my physician about confidental items.

Cons

I do not use many of the functions of the software so cannot answer this honestly. What I have used works fine.

Pros

Ability to share confidential correspondence and documents, physician to physician and within formal groups.

Cons

The app is less user friendly and visually worse than the web version. By far. I need a calendar I can glance at, not one requiring each day to be clicked on for more information

A good scheduling program

Pros

Easy to use
Helps with all scheduling. I am just a user and it is very simple an straight forward . Able to handle multiple schedules.

Cons

Some times it shuts down randomly at different locations and Wi-Fi so it is the program.
Otherwise it seems like a very good program.

Pros

PetalMd is easy to use. It displays the hospital call schedule in a clear way that is easy to navigate.

Cons

The editing field in the "assigned physician" part of the scheduling section isn't formatted well. To add a comment or edit the time, you need to go to the dr list beside the schedule, go to the bottom and then scroll across to get to the wheel that allows you to open the edit page. It would be nice if it all displayed without having to scroll across.
It would also be nice if the administrator could add the contact information for the physicians in their department so that the physician didn't have to log on and do it themselves. There is a lot of missing contact info as a result.

Pros

Clear and straightforward, user-friendly and easy to access on mobile device and computer at home

Cons

No specific concerns. When a shift is posted to marketplace it sometimes won't let you then make an individual trade

Pros

Easy to access via the phone app. Schedule is visualized well on computer. No issues managing master schedule on computer interface.

Cons

Hard to make trades and changes as well as visualize the schedule in the phone app. Cannot manage master schedule well on the phone app. This is problematic when not at a desktop computer.

Pros

Simplistic symbols he one learn how to use this software. It is helpful to also learn the mobile app is it is also useful on a daily basis. The software is easy for MD's to learn and manipulate to their own needs. It also helps with sorting out call equity issues.

Cons

Need to spend to time become adept but this is overall a quick process. My biggest issue is I would like the mobile app to allow me as a scheduler to make changes. Currently this can only be done it seems from a desktop which can be limiting.

Pros

Accessibility on mobile device is a very useful feature. Love checking the schedule on my phone and getting notifications.

Cons

New layout compared to old version thus may take some time to get used to. Otherwise the new interface looks great.

Pros

That other approved users can modify my schedule. That I can access it from a mobile platform. Calendar view is improved now that I'm using an Android device.

Cons

When filling in weeks of schedule months in the future, after each event is scheduled and then confirmed, being sent back to today's date and having to navigate back to where you were. This is exceedingly tedious and frustrating. It triples the time required to set a schedule in the future.

Ease of scheduling and contacting/conversing with colleagues. Too many notifications via email and would be nice to get a preview or something of what the notification pertains to vs. Needing to log in each time to find out.

Pros

Simple, nice interface. Functional. I like how schedules are displayed and the way shifts can be traded etc. With or without messages.