What is Multi-Unit Management?
Patika's multi-unit management feature is a powerful capability that allows you to manage multiple departments, units, or services from a single account. With this feature, for example, you can manage intensive care, emergency service, and internal medicine departments separately in a hospital, ensuring each has its own staff, shift plans, and settings.
Multi-unit management is designed especially for large organizations and institutions with multiple departments. With this feature, you can create independent shift planning for each unit, organize staff management, and meet each unit's specific requirements.
Why Multi-Unit Management?
In traditional shift planning systems, all staff and shifts are managed in a single pool. This can cause problems for institutions with multiple departments:
- Confusion: Staff from different departments get mixed up
- Lack of Flexibility: Each department may have different requirements
- Management Difficulty: Managing all staff in a single list becomes difficult
- Reporting Issues: Department-based reporting becomes difficult
The multi-unit management feature solves these problems by providing independent and organized management for each unit.
What is a Unit?
In Patika, a unit is a department, service, or organizational unit that can be managed independently. Each unit has:
- Own Staff List: Each unit has its own specific staff
- Independent Shift Plans: Separate shift plans are created for each unit
- Custom Settings: Different shift configurations can be made for each unit
- Leaves and Requests: Each unit has its own leave and shift requests
- Special Days: Different special days can be defined for each unit
- Staff Access Code: A separate staff access code can be created for each unit
Creating a Unit
Creating a new unit is very easy. On the staff management page, click the "New Unit" button next to the unit selection dropdown. In the dialog window that opens, enter the unit name and click the "Create" button.
Steps to Create a Unit
- Go to the staff management page
- Click the "New Unit" button next to the unit selection dropdown
- Enter the unit name (e.g., "Intensive Care", "Emergency Service", "Internal Medicine")
- Click the "Create" button
- The new unit is automatically selected and ready to use
Tip: Choose unit names that are descriptive and understandable. For example, "Intensive Care" is sufficient instead of "Intensive Care Unit".
Unit Selection
When working in Patika, you need to select which unit you are working in. Unit selection is available on the following pages:
- Staff Management Page: Unit selection dropdown at the top of the page
- Calendar Requests Page: Unit selection dropdown at the top of the page
- Shift Planning Page: Unit selection dropdown at the top of the page
How to Select a Unit?
- Click the unit selection dropdown at the top of the page
- Select the desired unit from the opened list
- The page is automatically updated according to the selected unit
- Staff list, shift plans, and other data are displayed according to the selected unit
Important: When you change units, the system warns you if you have unsaved changes. Don't forget to save your changes!
Default Unit
Each user has a default unit. When you first log in or when you don't select a unit, the system automatically selects your default unit. The default unit is usually the first unit you created.
The default unit is automatically determined by the system and cannot be changed. However, you can work by selecting a different unit at any time.
Switching Between Units
Switching between units is very easy. When you select a different unit from the unit selection dropdown:
- The page is automatically updated according to the selected unit
- The staff list is displayed according to the new unit
- Shift plans are loaded according to the new unit
- Leaves and requests are displayed according to the new unit
- Special days are loaded according to the new unit
Important: Before changing units, don't forget to save your unsaved changes in the current unit. The system warns you if you have unsaved changes.
Independent Management for Each Unit
With the multi-unit management feature, you can have completely independent management for each unit:
1. Independent Staff Management
Each unit has a separate staff list. When you add staff to a unit, that staff belongs only to that unit. They are not visible in other units.
Example: When you add a staff member named "John Smith" to the Intensive Care unit, this staff member is only visible in the Intensive Care unit. When you switch to the Emergency Service unit, this staff member is not visible in the list.
2. Independent Shift Plans
Separate shift plans are created for each unit. A shift plan you create in one unit is not visible in other units.
Example: When you create a shift plan for January 2025 for the Intensive Care unit, this plan is only visible in the Intensive Care unit. When you switch to the Emergency Service unit, this plan is not visible and you need to create a separate plan for Emergency Service.
3. Independent Shift Settings
You can make different shift configurations for each unit. For example, you can use 24-hour shifts for the Intensive Care unit and 12-hour shifts for the Emergency Service.
Example: You can set a daily 24-hour coverage requirement for the Intensive Care unit and a 12-hour coverage requirement for the Emergency Service.
4. Independent Leaves and Requests
Leaves and shift requests are managed separately for each unit. Leave requests from staff in one unit are not visible in other units.
Example: A leave request from a staff member in the Intensive Care unit is only visible in the Intensive Care unit. When you switch to the Emergency Service unit, this request is not visible.
5. Independent Special Days
Different special days can be defined for each unit. For example, a special holiday for the Intensive Care unit and a different special day for the Emergency Service can be defined.
Example: You can define special shift types for January 1st for the Intensive Care unit and different shift types for the same day for the Emergency Service.
6. Independent Staff Access Codes
A separate staff access code can be created for each unit. This way, staff from each unit can access the system with their unit-specific code.
Example: You can create code "IC2025" for the Intensive Care unit and code "ES2025" for the Emergency Service. Staff from each unit can only access the system using their unit's code.
Deleting a Unit
When you want to delete a unit, you need to be careful. When a unit is deleted:
- All staff belonging to that unit are deleted
- All shift plans belonging to that unit are deleted
- All leaves and requests belonging to that unit are deleted
- All special days belonging to that unit are deleted
- All settings belonging to that unit are deleted
Important: Unit deletion cannot be undone. Before deleting a unit, it is recommended to back up all data in that unit.
Usage Scenarios
Scenario 1: Hospital Management
You can create separate units for different services in a hospital:
- Intensive Care: Critical patients requiring 24-hour continuous care
- Emergency Service: 7/24 emergency intervention unit
- Internal Medicine: Normal patient care and routine procedures
- Surgery: Surgery and surgical procedures
You can have different staff, different shift plans, and different settings for each unit.
Scenario 2: Multi-Branch Institution
In an institution with multiple branches, you can create a separate unit for each branch:
- Main Branch: Main branch staff and shifts
- Branch 1: Second branch staff and shifts
- Branch 2: Third branch staff and shifts
You can have independent management for each branch and prevent confusion between branches.
Scenario 3: Different Shift Types
In an institution using different shift types, you can create a separate unit for each shift type:
- Day Shift: Staff working between 08:00-16:00
- Night Shift: Staff working between 20:00-08:00
- Weekend Shift: Staff working only on weekends
You can have different planning and settings for each shift type.
Tips and Best Practices
1. Choose Descriptive Unit Names
Choose unit names that you can immediately understand what they are. For example, use "Intensive Care" instead of "IC".
2. Keep the Number of Units Reasonable
Creating too many units can make management difficult. Only create units for departments that really need to be managed separately.
3. Consistent Management for Each Unit
Apply the same management standards for each unit. Perform staff addition, shift planning, and setting operations consistently.
4. Regular Backup
Before making important changes, back up data for each unit. This way, you can restore your data if a problem occurs.
5. Be Careful When Switching Between Units
When changing units, don't forget to save your unsaved changes. The system warns you, but it is still recommended to be careful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a staff member work in multiple units?
No, currently a staff member can only belong to one unit. If a staff member works in multiple units, you need to create a separate staff record for each unit.
Can data be shared between units?
No, there is no data sharing between units. Each unit is completely independent and has its own data.
What happens when I delete a unit?
When a unit is deleted, all data belonging to that unit (staff, shifts, leaves, settings) is permanently deleted. This operation cannot be undone.
Can I change the default unit?
The default unit is automatically determined by the system and cannot be changed. However, you can work by selecting a different unit at any time.
Is there a limit on the number of units?
Technically, there is no limit on the number of units. However, creating too many units can make management difficult. It is recommended to create a reasonable number of units.
Conclusion
The multi-unit management feature is one of Patika's most powerful features. With this feature, you can manage multiple departments, units, or services from a single account, ensuring each has its own staff, shift plans, and settings.
Multi-unit management is designed especially for large organizations and institutions with multiple departments. With this feature, you can make your shift planning more organized and efficient.
By applying what you've learned in this guide, you can effectively use the multi-unit management feature and optimize your shift planning. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to contact the Patika support team.
Discover how easy multi-unit management can be with Patika!