The main focus of this paper is to explore the use of cyclical scheduling methods in
nurse scheduling through literature review. Cyclical scheduling can be effectively
used to schedule work shifts in hospitals and other situations in terms of time saving
because computer software and mathematical programming is not needed.
Additionally, scheduling is one of the main topics in this course, and as a result, this
practice will facilitate the understanding of scheduling processes. As an example, a
cyclical method is used to cover a 7-week, three work shifts (day, evening, night)
schedule for 20 nurse staff. Some additional charts and diagrams will be included to
help demonstrate this topic. Hospital administrators, managers and other companies,
such as manufacturing or service companies, who need to frequently implement work
shifts, may be interested in the effectiveness of cyclical scheduling.