August 2020
Let me tell you about the moment that everything changed for our anesthesia department. In the fall of 2020, six months into the COVID pandemic, I had just been appointed Director overseeing 50 CRNAs. If you've ever managed a healthcare team, you know scheduling is the bane of every leader's existence.
There I was, hunched over our kitchen table on a Saturday morning, surrounded by an apocalypse of eraser crumbs, wrestling with an impossible Excel spreadsheet. My husband found me in what can only be described as a scheduling nightmare. Rows of tiny numbers, crossed-out entries, and a complex system that existed only in my head.
When he suggested creating a software solution to help me, I laughed. “Impossible,” I told him. Our scheduling process was intricate - we use numbers in reverse order, we have a million unwritten rules, and no commercial system has ever come close to understanding our unique workflow. Plus, most scheduling software costs a fortune, and none truly solves our problems.
But my husband is persistent. A brilliant IT expert who loves solving complex business problems, he saw what I couldn't - that technology could simplify my life. While I was drowning in manual scheduling during the pandemic, he was quietly coding away, determined to create something that would work specifically for our team.
I am moving us into the 21st century; WE ARE GOING DIGITAL!
The first demo? Let's just say it was rough. My Apple watch was buzzing with constant staff requests - doctors' appointments, time-off requests, shift swaps. I was skeptical and critical. But my husband, bless him, didn't give up. He refined the software, added a request management system, and created automated notifications.
The second demo changed everything.
"I am moving us into the 21st century," I remember saying. "WE ARE GOING DIGITAL!"
And you know what makes this story even more special? myStaffSchedule is proudly a woman-owned business. As a female leader in the healthcare technology arena and a practicing CRNA, I am proud of what we have built and the positive impact it has achieved in real-time staff scheduling across several clinical specialty areas.
myStaffSchedule wasn't just a scheduling tool. It was a lifeline for our team, created out of love, understanding, and a deep appreciation for the complexities of healthcare staffing. What started as a kitchen table frustration became a solution that would transform how we manage our critical anesthesia team.
My husband saw what no commercial software could - the unique rhythm of our department, our specific needs, our workflow. And he built something that fit us perfectly.
Sometimes, the best solutions come from those who truly understand your challenges. And sometimes, those solutions are driven by a woman's vision, determination, and commitment to excellence.