> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.decodahealth.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Shift Planning
> Plan provider shifts and blocks for the week, resolve scheduling conflicts, and clear holiday schedules.
**Where to find it:** Go to **Check-In > Shift Management**. Requires the **Scheduling Shifts Write** permission.
The Shift Management page is the primary graphical view for planning provider availability. While you can also manage shifts and blocks directly from the [main calendar](/modules/scheduling/blocks-and-shifts), this page supports weekly and monthly planning across providers and locations.
Use it to plan who's working when, spot and fix scheduling conflicts, and clear shifts for holidays.
## Navigate the Calendar
Use the **Week / Month** menu to choose how much of the schedule to see. Shift Management remembers your choice the next time you return.
* **Left and right arrows** — Move backward or forward one week or one month, based on the selected view.
* **Calendar icon** — Jump directly to any date.
* A small repeat icon on any shift or block means it's part of a recurring series.
In **Month** view, each location has its own section. Select a location heading to show or hide its calendar. Each day shows shifts and blocks for that location; select **+ more** when a day has additional items. Select an item to review or change it, or select empty space on a day to add a shift or block.
## Filter the Calendar
Use the controls at the top of the page to customize what you see:
| Filter | What it does |
| --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Show AI Assistants** | Turn on to include AI assistant schedules alongside provider schedules. |
| **Location** | Filter by one or more clinic locations. Each location appears as its own section in the calendar. |
| **Providers / Staff** | Select which providers appear in the calendar rows. |
| **Include blocks-only providers** | Turn on to show providers who have blocks scheduled (like lunch or time off) but no shifts for the week. Useful for seeing who's unavailable even if they're not working. |
If the Clock-In module is enabled, the Shift Management page shows a staff selector instead of the standard provider selector. This lets you manage shifts for non-provider staff as well.
## Read the Calendar
The calendar is organized by location, providing a clear graphical view of provider availability:
* **Shift bars** (Blue) — Show when the provider is available to see patients. These are the working hours.
* **Block bars** (Gray) — Show when the provider is unavailable (lunch, meetings, training, or personal time).
* **Repeat icon** — Indicates the shift or block is part of a recurring schedule.
Click any **shift bar** to see a tooltip with **Edit** and **Duplicate** buttons. Edit opens the shift for changes. Duplicate creates a new shift pre-filled with the same settings — useful for quickly adding similar time slots. Click any **block bar** to open it directly for editing.
You can also click on empty space in any provider's row to add a shift or block at that time slot directly.
## Create a Shift or Block
The Shift Management page is the intended place for creating and managing provider time. Click the **Add** button in the top-right corner to open the creation menu:
* **Create new Shift** — Define when a provider is available for appointments. Set the provider, location, date, start/end times, capacity, and optional recurrence.
* **Create new Block** — Define when a provider is unavailable. Set the title, provider, date, start/end times, and optional recurrence.
**Pro Tip:** Use shifts to define "When can I see patients?" and blocks for "When am I at the clinic but unavailable?". Patients can only self-schedule during shift hours that are not covered by a block.
**Utilization:** Plan shifts at least a week ahead so the [dashboard](/modules/check-in/dashboard) can show accurate provider utilization numbers.
## Resolve Shift Conflicts
One of the main advantages of managing shifts here is the conflict detection. When a provider has overlapping shifts on the same day — for example, two shifts at different locations at the same time — a red **Conflicting shifts detected** alert appears at the top.
Click the alert to see:
* Which providers have conflicts.
* The specific dates and times where shifts overlap.
* The locations involved.
To fix a conflict, click on one of the overlapping shift bars and either edit its time or delete it.
## Delete Holiday Shifts
When a holiday is coming up, you can clear shifts for that day in bulk instead of deleting them one by one.
Click **Delete Holiday Shifts** in the top-right toolbar.
Choose from a list of upcoming U.S. federal holidays (past holidays are hidden). If your closure date isn't a federal holiday, expand **Or Select Custom Date** to pick any future date.
The system loads all providers who have shifts on the selected date. Each provider card shows their name, shift times, location, and how many appointments they have that day. Providers without appointments are automatically selected for deletion.
Check or uncheck providers to control whose shifts are deleted. Use **Select All** or **Deselect All** for quick changes. Pay attention to the appointment count — if a provider has appointments on that day, you may need to reschedule those before deleting the shift.
Review the warning showing how many shifts will be deleted, then click **Delete**. This action cannot be undone.
**Before deleting holiday shifts**, check whether any affected providers have appointments that day. The window shows an appointment count for each provider — if someone has appointments, reschedule or cancel those appointments first, then delete the shift.
## Tips for Shift Planning
Create a recurring block for each provider's lunch break (e.g., 12:00-1:00 PM, Monday through Friday). This prevents patients from booking appointments during that time, whether they're booking online or being scheduled by staff.
If a provider works the same schedule every week, create a recurring shift instead of adding individual shifts for each day. Click the recurrence option when creating a shift and set it to repeat weekly. You can always edit or delete individual occurrences later.
After adding or editing shifts, look for the red conflict alert at the top of the calendar. It's easy to accidentally create overlapping shifts, especially when copying schedules or adjusting times.
Don't wait until the day before a holiday to clear shifts. Use the Delete Holiday Shifts feature a week or two ahead so patients aren't booking into slots that will be cancelled.