Questions About Using Staff Assignment

This section lists common question and answers related to how to use Vocera Staff Assignment.

Can I use a browser other than Internet Explorer?

Vocera has certified Vocera Staff Assignment running only on Internet Explorer 6, 7, or 8. Other browsers have not been tested.

Can I login to Vocera Staff Assignment using my Active Directory credentials?

Yes. As of release 4.4, you can use Active Directory credentials to login into Vocera Staff Assignment. This option must be enabled by the Vocera System Administrator. For more information, see Logging In Using Active Directory Authentication.

How many staff members can I assign to each bed?

You can assign up to 8 staff members to each bed or role, although by default only 2 staff member columns are available.

Can someone be assigned to multiple beds?

Yes. This is a common scenario. However, a staff member cannot be assigned multiple times to the same bed.

Can I assign someone from another site to a bed?

Yes. On the Assignments tab, use the Find Staff field to find a staff member at another site. The Add To Unit dialog box appears, allowing you to add the staff member to the unit and to the selected bed.

How can I tell if staff members are logged in and available for a call?

If you have Vocera Staff Assignment Premier, colored status indicators (green for online, yellow for online but unavailable, and red for offline) appear to the left of each cell on the Assignments tab.

When is a staff assignment saved to the Vocera Voice Server?

After you select a staff member for a field, press Enter or click another cell to save the assignment. The status bar at the bottom of the Assignments tab indicates when staff are added or removed.

What should I enter in the Notes field on the Assignments tab?

Add any helpful information about the assignment. Here are some examples:

Note: To preserve patient privacy, avoid using patient names in the Notes field.

Can users still add themselves to groups using voice commands on the badge?

Yes. Users can still add themselves to groups using voice commands, and these assignments can be further managed using Vocera Staff Assignment. However, if your site is implementing Vocera Staff Assignment, as a best practice Vocera recommends using Vocera Staff Assignment to perform all staff assignments. You may need to retrain Vocera users to not use voice commands to add themselves to groups.

Does Vocera Staff Assignment have record locking?

Yes. If someone else has posted a change to a bed group assignment after you began editing a field, you won't be allowed to post an update to the field because it is currently "dirty." Vocera Staff Assignment will display an error message telling you that the bed group has been updated. The application will then fetch the latest data from the server.

I finished assigning staff members to beds and roles for all units. Can I lock the screen to prevent changes?

If you have Vocera Staff Assignment Premier, you can lock the screen by checking the Lock checkbox on the Assignments tab. When you lock the screen, only your session is affected. While your screen is locked, other Vocera Staff Assignment users can still log in and change staff assignments.