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Free Nurse Schedule Template

Create fair, compliant, and organized nurse schedules with our free Excel, Google Sheets, and PDF templates. Plan day, evening, night, rotating, weekend, and on-call shifts while balancing staffing levels, reducing overtime, and improving patient coverage.

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Weekly nurse schedule template preview showing nurse names, roles, departments, day and night shift assignments, and weekly hours.

Table of contents

Quick overview

Feature Details
Best for Hospitals, clinics, long-term care, rehabilitation, home healthcare
Schedule Weekly and monthly planning
Formats Excel, Google Sheets, PDF
Shift types Day, evening, night, rotating, weekend, on-call
Editable Yes
Printable Yes
Cost Free

Featured answer: A free nurse schedule template (also searched as nurse roster template, nursing schedule template, nurse duty roster template, nursing duty roster, and RN schedule template) gives nurse managers a weekly grid for RN, LPN, CNA, and support roles with departments, shift times, breaks, weekly hours, and overtime notes in Excel, Google Sheets, or PDF. Use it as the official nursing roster after you collect an availability sheet and plan shift coverage.

Unlike the hospital staff roster template, which covers all hospital departments, this page focuses entirely on nursing workforce scheduling for nurse managers, nursing supervisors, chief nursing officers, and HR teams in acute and post-acute care.

What is a nurse schedule template?

A nurse schedule template is a structured weekly or monthly grid nurse managers use to assign clinical staff to shifts while maintaining safe patient coverage.

Nurse schedules differ from general employee schedule templates because nursing operations require:

Factor Why it matters
24/7 patient care Units never close; gaps in night or weekend bands affect safety
Shift handovers Day, evening, and night transitions need overlap and continuity
Skill mix RN, LPN, and CNA ratios vary by unit acuity and census
Staffing ratios Minimum licensed coverage must be documented before publish
Overtime Doubles and extra shifts inflate labor cost quickly
Compliance Breaks, rest periods, and consecutive hours may be regulated

A standardized nursing roster template saves charge nurses and DONs from rebuilding blank grids every week. It also creates one official version the floor can trust instead of conflicting spreadsheet tabs and group-chat screenshots.

For operational depth, see how to create a nursing home staff schedule, healthcare attendance tracking best practices, and nurse scheduling software.

What is a nursing duty roster?

A nursing duty roster is a structured schedule that shows which nurses and nursing staff are assigned to each shift, unit, department, or location. A roster typically includes the employee's role, shift date, start and end time, assigned unit, and total scheduled hours.

Managers searching for a nurses duty roster, nursing roster, or nurse duty roster template are usually looking for the same thing: one official assignment list the floor can trust.

A nursing duty roster can help managers organize:

  • Day, evening, and night shifts
  • RN, LPN/LVN, and CNA coverage
  • Weekend and holiday assignments
  • On-call and backup coverage
  • Nurse availability and approved leave
  • Shift swaps and open shifts
  • Weekly scheduled hours and overtime

Nursing roster vs. nurse schedule: A nursing roster generally emphasizes who is assigned to each duty or shift, while a nurse schedule can provide a broader view of an employee's hours across the week or month.

Use this template as the weekly nursing roster for a single unit. Use the hospital staff roster template when the staffing office needs every hospital department on one sheet.

Nurse availability for scheduling

Before creating a nurse schedule, collect each employee's:

  • Available days
  • Preferred shifts
  • Unavailable days
  • Maximum or preferred weekly hours
  • Weekend availability
  • Holiday availability
  • On-call availability
  • Approved PTO or leave
  • Unit or department eligibility

A simple availability sheet can be used before building the weekly roster. For larger teams, keeping availability connected to the scheduling workflow reduces the need to reconcile separate spreadsheets.

Start with the employee availability form template. For the operational process, see healthcare employee availability management and people availability.

Who should use this template?

This nurse staffing schedule layout fits any setting that assigns hourly nursing and direct-care staff weekly.

Setting Typical users
Hospitals Nurse managers, charge nurses, staffing offices
Community hospitals Unit supervisors balancing float pools
Specialty hospitals Perioperative, cardiac, or behavioral health nurse leads
Clinics Clinical managers scheduling RNs and MAs across rooms
Rehabilitation centers DONs aligning nursing with therapy schedules
Long-term care facilities Floor supervisors planning 24/7 CNA and LPN coverage
Home healthcare Field nurse coordinators tracking visit windows
Surgical centers Pre-op and PACU nurse scheduling
Emergency departments Shift coordinators balancing trauma coverage

Target audience: Nurse managers, nursing supervisors, chief nursing officers, hospital HR, and scheduling coordinators who need a nursing-specific grid before adopting software.

If you need a campus-wide roster that includes physicians, lab, radiology, and housekeeping, use the hospital staff roster template. If you need a broad healthcare grid for mixed clinical and admin staff, start with the healthcare employee schedule template.

Roles included

Use the Role column to distinguish licensed and unlicensed titles on one sheet:

Role Typical assignment
Registered Nurse (RN) Primary clinical coverage, charge duties
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN/LVN) Med pass, treatments, supervised care
Nurse Practitioner (NP) Advanced practice where applicable
Charge Nurse Shift lead (note in Role or Manager Notes)
ICU Nurse Critical care unit assignment
ER Nurse Emergency department bands
Float Nurse Cross-unit coverage (document home unit in Notes)
Nursing Assistant (CNA) Direct care, ADLs, vitals support
Ward Clerk / Unit Secretary Clerical support on the unit

Sample rows in the download show RN, LPN, and CNA patterns you can replace with your roster.

Shift types for nursing teams

Nursing units combine multiple shift lengths and rotation styles. This template supports all of them through one cell per day on the week grid, plus an optional Shift Times tab in Excel.

Shift type Typical hours When nursing teams use it
Day shift 7 AM to 3 PM or 7 AM to 7 PM Med-surg, clinics, LTC days
Evening shift 3 PM to 11 PM Handoff coverage, LTC evenings
Night shift 11 PM to 7 AM ICU, ED, LTC overnight
8-hour Three bands per day Many LTC and clinic models
10-hour Compressed bands Some outpatient and rehab units
12-hour Day and night lines Hospitals, ED, ICU (see 12-hour nurse schedule)
Rotating Cycle through bands Fairness across undesirable hours (rotating shift hub)
Weekend Sat/Sun minimums Document in daily columns or Notes
On-call Backup coverage Document in Manager Notes until on-call template ships

Named rotation templates for 24/7 nursing and plant-style coverage:

DuPont, Pitman, dedicated night shift, and weekend shift templates are planned next in the healthcare and shift pattern series.

How to plan nurse shift coverage

Start with the coverage requirement for each unit and shift rather than assigning employees first.

  1. Define minimum staffing requirements by unit and shift.
  2. Identify required roles and skill mix.
  3. Check nurse availability and approved leave.
  4. Assign regular staff first.
  5. Fill remaining gaps with float, per-diem, or on-call staff.
  6. Review consecutive shifts and overtime.
  7. Publish the official roster.
  8. Create a process for call-offs and open shifts.

Coverage planning belongs with healthcare staff scheduling software and the healthcare staffing matrix template when a unit needs ratio targets next to names. For overtime after coverage is filled, use healthcare overtime management.

Open shifts and nurse scheduling

An open shift is a shift that still needs qualified staff coverage after the initial schedule is published.

Common causes include:

  • Employee call-offs
  • PTO
  • Unexpected patient demand
  • Vacant positions
  • Schedule changes
  • Staff reassignment

A manager can handle an open shift by checking qualified employee availability, offering the shift to eligible staff, approving a pickup or swap, and updating the official roster.

See healthcare open shift management and open shift and swap approvals for the approval path after publish.

Shift bidding and shift swaps

Shift bidding allows eligible employees to express interest in available shifts, while shift swapping allows employees to request an exchange with another qualified employee.

A controlled process should include:

  • Employee eligibility
  • Availability
  • Required qualifications
  • Manager approval
  • Updated official roster
  • Attendance synchronization

Read what is shift bidding for the policy language, then keep the published week in sync with healthcare attendance.

Nurse schedule examples

These examples show how a weekly nurse schedule template looks once names, times, and days off are filled. Copy the pattern into the download, then replace names with your roster.

Example: 8-hour nurse schedule

Nurse Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
RN 1 7–3 7–3 Off 7–3 7–3 Off Off
RN 2 3–11 3–11 Off Off 3–11 3–11 Off
RN 3 11–7 Off 11–7 11–7 Off 11–7 Off

The 8-hour pattern keeps three bands (day, evening, night) on one unit. Use the 8-hour shift schedule template when you want a generic three-band grid without nursing role columns.

Example: 12-hour nurse schedule

A common 12-hour hospital pattern uses:

  • Day: 7 AM to 7 PM
  • Night: 7 PM to 7 AM
  • 3×12 pattern: three 12-hour shifts in the week, then rest days
  • Weekend coverage: at least one weekend day or night assigned per nurse on a rotating basis

Do not duplicate a full 12-hour article here. Use the dedicated 12-hour nurse schedule template for day/night lines, sample weeks, and print layouts.

Nurse scheduling by healthcare setting

Nursing coverage changes by setting even when the same roster columns stay in use.

Hospitals

  • 24/7 coverage
  • Unit-based staffing
  • RN/LPN/CNA skill mix
  • Day and night shifts

See nurse scheduling software and the hospital staff roster template when the staffing office also covers non-nursing departments.

Long-term care

  • 24/7 coverage
  • CNA/LPN/RN scheduling
  • Weekend coverage
  • Resident-care requirements

See nursing home scheduling software and the nursing home staff schedule template.

Clinics

  • Appointment-driven staffing
  • Business-hour shifts
  • RN and medical assistant coverage

See the clinic staff schedule template.

Home healthcare

  • Visit windows
  • Travel time
  • Patient assignments
  • Caregiver availability

See the home healthcare schedule template.

Emergency departments

  • Variable demand
  • 24/7 coverage
  • High-acuity staffing
  • Open-shift management

For systems that run several sites, keep the same availability and open-shift rules in multi-location healthcare workforce management and healthcare workforce management.

Download the nurse schedule template

Format Best for
Excel (.xlsx) Offline editing on a nurse station PC, familiar formulas
Google Sheets (CSV) Shared editing with charge nurses and regional leads
PDF Printing for nurse stations, LTC wings, and break rooms

Use the download buttons at the top of this page. Each file includes a compact week grid with sample RN, LPN, and CNA rows. Excel also includes a Shift Times tab.

Google Sheets tip: Open Google Sheets, choose File > Import, upload the CSV, and share read-only with supervisors before you publish the official week.

What's included?

Column / field Purpose
Employee Name (Nurse Name) Who is scheduled
Role RN, LPN, CNA, NP, charge nurse, etc.
Department Unit or service line
Unit / Floor Wing, floor, or site within the building
Mon through Sun One cell per day: 7 AM-7 PM, 7 AM-3 PM, 7 PM-7 AM, or Off
Weekly Hours Calculated in Excel from the day cells (12-hour or 8-hour)
Overtime Hours Calculated in Excel as hours over 40
Manager Notes Supervisor comments, certifications, on-call flags
Shift Times tab (Excel) Optional start, end, and break times when you need punch-level detail

Header fields: Week Of, Unit / Floor, DON / Manager.

The CSV and PDF use the compact week grid. Excel adds the Shift Times tab plus hour formulas. Use Manager Notes for on-call and float assignments until dedicated on-call templates are published.

Template preview

Nurse schedule template column layout

The preview matches the download: one cell per day, then weekly hours. Excel also includes a Shift Times tab for start, end, and break times.

Employee Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Hours
Sarah (RN) 7 AM-7 PM 7 AM-7 PM Off 7 PM-7 AM Off Off Off 36
John (CNA) 7 PM-7 AM 7 PM-7 AM Off 7 AM-3 PM 7 AM-3 PM Off Off 40
Maria (LPN) 7 AM-3 PM Off 7 AM-3 PM 7 AM-3 PM Off 7 PM-7 AM Off 36
Setup guide

How to build your first nurse schedule week

Follow these five steps to publish a nursing schedule your charge nurses, DON, and floor staff can trust.

  1. Set the week and unit

    Fill Week Of, Unit / Floor, and DON / Manager in the header. Align dates with payroll if supervisors review weekly hours before submit.

  2. Add nurses by role and department

    Enter Employee Name, Role (RN, LPN, CNA), Department, and Unit / Floor. Group rows by unit so skill mix and ratios are visible at a glance.

    Staff management

  3. Assign shifts and breaks

    On the main week grid, type one value per day such as 7 AM-7 PM, 7 AM-3 PM, or Off. Use the Shift Times tab in Excel only when you need exact start, end, and break times.

  4. Review hours, ratios, and overtime

    Check Weekly Hours and Overtime Hours before publish. Confirm minimum licensed coverage for each shift band.

    Overtime risk calculator

  5. Publish and communicate

    Export PDF for nurse stations, share read-only Google Sheets, or email Excel to charge nurses. Publish two or more weeks ahead when possible.

    Mobile schedule access
Why use a template

Benefits of a structured nurse schedule

  • Fair shift distribution

    Document day, evening, night, and weekend assignments so rotations stay visible and defensible when staff compare schedules.

  • Skill mix visibility

    Role and department columns show RN, LPN, and CNA coverage on one official grid before you publish.

  • Overtime control

    Weekly Hours and Overtime Hours columns help nurse managers spot heavy weeks before payroll export.

  • Faster weekly publish

    Copy last week, adjust call-offs, and publish instead of rebuilding from a blank spreadsheet every Sunday.

  • Printable for the floor

    PDF export works for nurse stations, break rooms, and LTC wings where staff check the official week on paper.

Common nursing scheduling challenges

Challenge Impact What helps
Nurse shortages Thin coverage, mandatory OT Publish early; maintain float pool in Notes
Burnout Turnover, errors Rotate nights and weekends fairly
Fatigue Safety incidents on long shifts Respect rest periods; track consecutive nights
PTO requests Coverage holes Plan leave before publish; block in Manager Notes
Shift swaps Informal trades break fairness Require manager approval on official roster
Last-minute call-offs Mandatory doubles Define open-shift fill path
Weekend rotations Fairness disputes Document rotation in weekly grid
Holiday coverage Uneven burden Plan holiday grid weeks in advance
Overtime Labor cost spikes Review Weekly Hours before adding pickups

See open shift and swap approvals and prevent overtime before payroll.

Best practices for nurse scheduling

  1. Publish schedules early (two to four weeks ahead when possible).
  2. Balance night shifts fairly across the roster, not only on new hires.
  3. Rotate weekends with a documented pattern staff can predict.
  4. Track overtime while building the week, not after payroll closes.
  5. Respect rest periods between shifts per policy and regulation.
  6. Maintain appropriate skill mix (RN/LPN/CNA) for each band.
  7. Build contingency coverage for call-offs (float, per diem, on-call).
  8. Use one official publish per week; avoid parallel draft files.
  9. Communicate changes through the same channel as the official roster.
  10. Keep one official source once the week is published, whether that is this file or scheduling software.

Common mistakes

  • Publishing less than one week ahead so staff cannot plan childcare or commutes
  • Permanent night lines without a rotation policy when fairness is required
  • Scheduling RNs below ratio on high-acuity days
  • Ignoring PTO already approved in a separate system
  • Allowing informal swaps without updating the official sheet
  • Multiple spreadsheet versions (charge nurse draft vs DON final)
  • Skipping overtime review before approving pickup shifts

Spreadsheet vs Heyshift

A nurse schedule template is useful when a manager needs a simple weekly or monthly roster. Nurse scheduling software becomes more useful when schedules change frequently, multiple managers collaborate, employees submit availability, shifts need approval, or managers need real-time attendance and overtime information.

Capability Spreadsheet template Heyshift
Weekly nurse roster Yes Yes
Manual schedule creation Yes AI-assisted scheduling
Static files Yes Live schedules
Real-time updates Manual re-export Automatic
Shift reminders No Automated notifications
Attendance tracking No Built-in attendance
Leave management Manual notes Leave requests and blocks
Shift swap approvals No Manager-approved swaps
Open shift pickup No Yes
Overtime monitoring Manual columns Automatic while planning
Mobile access Limited Web and mobile for floor staff
Multi-location visibility Manual merge Unified platform
Conflict detection No Automatic alerts

Spreadsheets work well for single units, 10 to 40 staff, and stable patterns. Software becomes the better fit when call-offs, swaps, float pools, and multi-site coverage are daily work.

When you outgrow the file, compare nurse scheduling software, healthcare staff scheduling software, and workforce management software.

Nurse schedule vs hospital staff roster

Question Nurse schedule template Hospital staff roster template
Primary focus Nursing workforce (RN, LPN, CNA) All hospital departments
Includes non-clinical staff No (nursing-focused) Yes (lab, radiology, housekeeping, etc.)
Best for Nurse managers, DONs, unit supervisors Hospital staffing coordinators, HR
Skill mix columns Role-based nursing titles Role across clinical and support
Link This page Hospital staff roster

Use both when a health system wants a nursing-specific planning sheet for unit managers and a campus-wide roster for the staffing office.

Template Best for
Healthcare employee schedule template Mixed clinical and admin healthcare staff
Hospital staff roster template Full-hospital weekly rosters
Medical office schedule template Physician practices
Clinic staff schedule template Outpatient clinics
12-hour nurse schedule template Hospital and LTC 12-hour day/night lines
Rotating shift schedule template Hub for all shift rotation patterns
2-2-3 shift schedule template Panama rotation, 24/7 coverage
4-On 4-Off shift schedule template Long off blocks, security-style rotations
8-hour shift schedule template Three daily bands
10-hour shift schedule template Compressed workweeks

| Healthcare attendance sheet template | Track clock-in, absences, late arrivals, and overtime | | Employee availability form template | Collect available days, preferred shifts, and approved leave | | Healthcare staffing matrix template | Document minimum coverage by unit and shift |

Collect availability before you build the week. After publish, keep healthcare attendance and open shift management on the same official roster.

Getting started checklist

  1. Confirm unit minimums for each shift band (day, evening, night).
  2. List active roster with Role, Department, and Unit / Floor.
  3. Collect PTO and availability for the planning window.
  4. Assign daily shifts with one value per day, such as 7 AM-7 PM or Off.
  5. Verify RN/LPN/CNA mix meets acuity needs each day.
  6. Sum Weekly Hours and review Overtime Hours.
  7. Export PDF for the nurse station or LTC wing.
  8. Publish at least one week ahead (two to four is better).
  9. Document swaps on the official sheet only.
  10. Decide later whether the same roster should live in software once call-off volume exceeds the spreadsheet.

Frequently asked questions

Is this template free?

Yes. Excel, Google Sheets (CSV), and PDF at no cost.

How do hospitals schedule nurses?

By unit, with licensed and unlicensed mix, published early, adjusted through approved swaps and open-shift fills.

What is the best nurse shift pattern?

Depends on the unit: 12-hour for many hospitals, 8-hour for LTC, named rotations for 24/7 plants. Compare on the rotating shift hub.

How far in advance should schedules be published?

Two to four weeks is best practice for hourly nursing staff.

Can I customize this template?

Yes. Edit roles, units, times, and notes in Excel or Google Sheets.

Does it work for 12-hour shifts?

Yes. See also the 12-hour nurse schedule template.

Can I schedule CNAs and LPNs?

Yes. Use the Role column.

Is it suitable for nursing homes?

Yes. Supports 24/7 LTC bands.

Can I track overtime?

Yes. Use Weekly Hours and Overtime Hours columns.

How is this different from the hospital roster?

This page is nursing-only; the hospital roster includes all departments.

When should we use software?

When spreadsheets cannot keep up with swaps, call-offs, and multi-site visibility.

Does Heyshift support nurse scheduling?

Yes. Heyshift can keep the same roster, attendance, leave, and swaps in one place when the spreadsheet stops staying official.

What is a nursing duty roster?

A nursing duty roster is a structured schedule that shows which nurses and nursing staff are assigned to each shift, unit, department, or location. It typically includes role, shift date, start and end time, assigned unit, and total scheduled hours.

What should be included in a nurse duty roster?

Include employee name, role (RN, LPN/LVN, CNA), shift date, start and end time, assigned unit or department, weekend or holiday flags, on-call or backup coverage, approved leave, and weekly scheduled hours.

How do you create a nursing roster?

Set the week and unit, collect availability and approved leave, define minimum coverage by shift, assign regular staff by role, fill remaining gaps with float or on-call staff, review overtime, then publish one official roster.

How do you plan nurse shift coverage?

Start with the coverage requirement for each unit and shift, not with names. Define minimum staffing and skill mix, check availability, assign regular staff, fill gaps, review consecutive shifts and overtime, then publish and keep a call-off process.

How do nurses submit their availability?

Collect available days, preferred shifts, unavailable days, weekly hour limits, weekend and holiday availability, on-call status, approved PTO, and unit eligibility on an availability sheet before you build the weekly roster.

What is an open shift in nursing?

An open shift is a shift that still needs qualified staff after the initial schedule is published. Common causes include call-offs, PTO, unexpected census, vacant positions, schedule changes, and staff reassignment. See healthcare open shift management.

What is shift bidding for nurses?

Shift bidding lets eligible employees express interest in available shifts. A controlled process checks eligibility, availability, and qualifications, then requires manager approval. See what is shift bidding.

How do nurse shift swaps work?

A shift swap is a request to exchange a scheduled shift with another qualified employee. The swap should stay unofficial until a manager confirms eligibility and updates the published roster and attendance record.

What is the difference between a nurse schedule and a nursing roster?

A nursing roster emphasizes who is assigned to each duty or shift. A nurse schedule can provide a broader view of an employee's hours across the week or month, including days off, rotations, and planned overtime.

How do you schedule nurses across multiple units?

Define coverage by unit first, then assign home-unit staff, document float eligibility, and keep one official roster per week. Multi-location teams need the same availability, open-shift, and overtime rules at every site. See multi-location healthcare workforce management.

Final thoughts

A nurse schedule template is the fastest way to publish a fair, readable week for RN, LPN, and CNA teams without starting from a blank grid. Use this page for the weekly nursing duty roster, collect an availability sheet before you assign names, plan shift coverage, then handle open shifts and shift bidding on one official file.

When the unit adopts 12-hour lines or named rotations, move to the 12-hour nurse schedule template or the rotating shift hub. If call-offs, multi-unit coverage, and overtime tracking outgrow the spreadsheet, compare nurse scheduling software and healthcare staff scheduling software.

Keep exploring

Related resources

More templates, guides, and tools for building and running your schedule.