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Healthcare Management vocabulary · Staffing and Workforce

Shift

Meaning in healthcare management, with examples

/ʃɪft/nounCore term

In healthcare management, shift means: A fixed period of work, such as day, evening or night, that staff take in turns so that a hospital is covered around the clock.

In Turkish: vardiya, nöbet, mesai

How it is used

Staff work, do, cover, swap or pick up shifts. Common types are early, late and night shifts, or 8-hour and 12-hour shifts. Shift patterns affect costs, fatigue and the quality of handover, so managers plan them carefully.

Example sentences

  1. Two nurses called in sick, so we need someone to cover the night shift.

  2. Moving to 12-hour shifts reduced the number of handovers each day.

Common collocations

  • night shift
  • cover a shift
  • swap shifts
  • shift pattern
  • 12-hour shift
  • rotaA list or timetable that shows which staff work which shifts over a period, such as a week or a month.
  • on callAvailable to come to work or give advice at short notice outside normal hours, either from home or while staying in the hospital.
  • staffingThe number and type of staff working in a hospital, ward or shift, and the work of making sure there are enough of them with the right skills.
  • burnoutA state of physical and emotional exhaustion caused by long-term stress at work, often with a feeling of distance from the job and lower effectiveness.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Staffing and Workforce

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.