Think of a Template as your department’s "Master Plan." It defines the recurring rhythm of your clinic or hospital—whether your rotations repeat weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
The Baseline: The template tells the system exactly which roles need to be filled and how often those shifts occur.
Automated Logic: Once your template is set, Mesh AI uses it as a foundation to build your actual schedule, automatically applying your team's complex staffing rules and fair-share patterns.
Clinical Flexibility: While the template handles the routine, admins can always add "ad-hoc" shifts or make manual adjustments to account for the unpredictable nature of hospital life.
⚠️ Important Note for Administrators
Due to the detail required to build these rotations, Templates can only be created or edited using a desktop web browser. This administrative feature is not available on the mobile app.
To access your team templates as an admin, select Templates from the top Mesh AI navigation toolbar:
This is where you define recurring shifts and link them to specific Jobs or Positions required for your team.
Flexibility in Timing: Shifts can be set to repeat on any cadence, such as every Monday, every week, or every three days.
The Foundation: When you create a new scheduling block, the template automatically populates it with these "empty" shifts.
Finalizing the Schedule: Once the shifts are generated, you can assign them to your staff manually or use the Mesh Auto-Scheduler to handle the allocations based on your team's rules.
Adding shifts to a template:
1. Click the "Shift +" button in the top right hand of the template table.
2. Enter Shift Details:
In the pop-up window, provide the specific requirements for the shift:
Shift Count: Enter the total number of shifts required for this specific job type. For example, if your department requires three separate "Day Call" shifts to be active simultaneously, set the shift count to 3.
Job Category: Select the appropriate header for the shift (e.g., Day Call, Night Call, Float, or Consult).
Duration & Timing: Specify if this is a timed shift (e.g., 07:00–19:00) or an All-Day assignment.
Frequency (The "When"): Choose how often the shift recurs:
Daily or Weekly: Select specific days or a Monday–Friday block.
Monthly: Set by a specific date (e.g., the 3rd) or a weekday (e.g., the 2nd Tuesday).
Custom Intervals: Set a specific cadence (e.g., every 14 days starting Jan 1st).
Holidays & Special Dates: Configure whether the shift should occur or be skipped on holidays.
Workload Modifier: Adjust the "weight" of the shift to ensure fair-share distribution.
Automatic Assignment: Designate a specific staff member who is always assigned to this particular shift.
3. Press "Add" and the shift will be added to your template!
Create or Duplicate Templates
To manage different seasonal rotations or staffing models, you can create multiple templates from scratch or duplicate an existing one to save time.
Select "+ Template": Click the button in the top toolbar.
Name Your Template: Enter a clear title (e.g., "Summer Rotation" or "Holiday Schedule").
Duplicate (Optional): If you wish to build off an existing model, select a previously created template from the dropdown menu to copy its settings.
Creating multiple templates is most effective when you anticipate significant, recurring changes to your staffing model—such as during the holiday season or for specific emergency rotations.
Create a New Template: If the structural changes are major and you expect to use this specific rotation again in the future.
Manual Adjustment: If the changes are minor or a one-time occurrence (e.g., a single-day deviation), it is more efficient to edit the existing template for that specific period rather than building a new one.
Rule of Thumb: Only duplicate and save a new template if the modifications provide long-term value for future scheduling blocks.
New Feature: Template Preview
Before finalizing your rotation, you can verify the layout to ensure the shifts are correctly positioned.
How to View: Select "Preview" located next to the "Template +" button.
The Benefit: This provides a visual confirmation of your shift patterns before you apply them to an active schedule.
Full Screen Mode
For a more detailed inspection of your rotation, you can toggle Full Screen Mode. This provides an expanded view of the template table, making it easier to review complex shift patterns and ensure every detail is correct before proceeding.
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Read more about positions here.