Resident Scheduling Problem

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with the Resident Scheduling Problem (RSP) in which a good schedule is desired that will meet both departmental requirements and residents' preferences. Three scenarios that represent most situations and account for various departmental requirements and needs are described. Although similar scheduling problems are considered in the literature, no analysis exists that adequately deals with this specific problem. The problem is modeled as a mixed-integer program (MIP) and heuristic solution procedures are developed for the different identified scheduling scenarios. These procedures exploit the network structure of the problem which is an important feature that enhances problem solvability. For the sake of comparison, the problem is also solved exactly via the CPLEX-MIP package. The contribution of this work is important since many hospitals are still utilizing manual techniques in preparing their own schedules, expending considerable effort and time with less scheduling flexibility.