Question 1

What is Slipstream ER?

Accepted Answer

Slipstream ER is an AI-powered scheduling platform built specifically for emergency departments. It generates a full month's schedule in seconds while enforcing your department's rules — rest-after-nights, time-off, shift restrictions, contract requirements — and tracking fairness across nights, weekends, and holidays. What used to take a scheduler days of manual work happens with one click.

Question 2

Who is Slipstream ER for?

Accepted Answer

Emergency department schedulers, medical directors, and ER physician groups. If you're building schedules in spreadsheets, shared calendars, or a general-purpose tool that wasn't designed for the realities of emergency medicine — circadian rules, nocturnist contracts, equity complaints — Slipstream ER was built for you.

Question 3

How long does setup take?

Accepted Answer

Most departments are up and running in a single afternoon. A guided setup wizard walks you through defining your shift types, adding your providers (or importing them via CSV), and configuring your scheduling rules — typically in under an hour. After that, you import or collect time-off requests and generate your first schedule.

Question 4

Do I need to install anything?

Accepted Answer

No. Slipstream ER runs entirely in your web browser. Providers can view their schedules, submit requests, and manage swaps from any device.

Question 5

Can I try it before paying?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every new site gets a 30-day free trial with all Core and Pro features unlocked, for up to 20 providers. No credit card required.

Question 6

How do I add my providers?

Accepted Answer

Two ways: add them one at a time in the app, or import your whole roster at once with a CSV file. Each provider gets their own account for viewing schedules, submitting time-off requests, and managing swaps.

Question 7

How does the AI actually build the schedule?

Accepted Answer

You define the rules — shift types, coverage requirements, provider contracts, time-off — and the engine searches for a schedule that satisfies every hard rule while balancing fairness across the group. It considers rest requirements, run-length limits, circadian progression, and each provider's cumulative history of nights, weekends, and holidays. The result is a complete month generated in seconds.

Question 8

What happens if the schedule can't be filled?

Accepted Answer

If your provider capacity can't cover every shift under your rules, the system alerts you and shows exactly where the gaps are, instead of silently producing a broken schedule. You can then adjust rules, add capacity, or make an informed exception.

Question 9

Can I edit the schedule after it's generated?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The generated schedule is a starting point you fully control. You can make manual adjustments before publishing, and the violations report will flag any change that breaks a rule so nothing slips through unnoticed.

Question 10

What is the violations report?

Accepted Answer

After generation (or after manual edits), Slipstream ER produces a report of any rule conflicts — a shift that violates rest-after-nights, a provider over their contracted count, a missed restriction. Review it, resolve what needs resolving, and publish with confidence. It also serves as an audit trail showing your schedule was built in compliance with your department's rules.

Question 11

Can I regenerate a schedule after requests change?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If new time-off requests come in or your roster changes, regenerate in seconds. Before publishing, you can regenerate as often as you like.

Question 12

What rules can Slipstream ER enforce?

Accepted Answer

Hard rules include rest-after-nights, approved time-off, shift restrictions, circadian ladder progression, run-length limits, contracted shift counts, nocturnist requirements, and provider exclusions (people who shouldn't be scheduled together). Hard rules never break — the engine won't produce a schedule that violates them.

Question 13

How does Slipstream ER keep nights and weekends fair?

Accepted Answer

It tracks cumulative equity: a running total of every provider's nights, weekends, and holidays over time — not just within a single month. When generating a new schedule, the engine uses those running totals to steer undesirable shifts toward providers who are below their fair share, so equity balances out across months instead of resetting every schedule.

Question 14

Can providers see the fairness data?

Accepted Answer

Yes — that's the point. Perceived inequity ("I always get the weekends") drives burnout even more than total hours. Transparent, provable equity tracking lets everyone see that the distribution is fair over time.

Question 15

How are holidays handled?

Accepted Answer

Holiday fairness is tracked separately, so working Christmas this year is remembered next year. Pro plans include a holiday requests module for collecting and balancing holiday preferences.

Question 16

How do shift swaps work?

Accepted Answer

Providers propose trades directly in the app. Before any swap is finalized, Slipstream ER checks it against your department's rules — rest requirements, restrictions, contract limits — and blocks trades that would create a violation. Approved swaps update the schedule and everyone's calendars automatically.

Question 17

What's the difference between a swap and a giveaway?

Accepted Answer

A swap is a two-way trade between providers. A giveaway posts a shift for another provider to pick up. Both are rule-checked before they're allowed to go through.

Question 18

How do providers submit time-off requests?

Accepted Answer

Either directly in the app during your request window, or by importing requests from QGenda or Lightning Bolt if your group already collects them there.

Question 19

What are request windows?

Accepted Answer

Request windows define when providers can submit time-off and preference requests for an upcoming schedule period, so the scheduler isn't chasing requests (or fielding late ones) while trying to build the month.

Question 20

What happens if there's a last-minute call-out?

Accepted Answer

Pro plans include emergency coverage alerts: notify eligible providers of an open shift with one tap and fill gaps fast.

Question 21

Which systems does Slipstream ER integrate with?

Accepted Answer

Slipstream ER imports time-off and request data from QGenda and Lightning Bolt, and supports CSV import for provider rosters. Published schedules sync to personal calendars via standard calendar feeds.

Question 22

How does calendar sync work?

Accepted Answer

Every provider gets a personal schedule feed they can subscribe to from Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, or any app that supports calendar subscriptions. When the schedule changes — a swap, an update, a new month — their calendar updates automatically. There's also a "My Schedule" page in the app for a quick view.

Question 23

Can I export the schedule?

Accepted Answer

Published schedules are available to every provider through calendar feeds and the app. If you need a specific export format for payroll or administration, contact support — we'd like to hear what you need.

Question 24

How much does Slipstream ER cost?

Accepted Answer

Two plans, billed monthly per site: Core at $49.99/month (up to 20 providers, single site — AI generation, fairness tracking, swaps and giveaways, request windows, integrations, calendar sync, notifications, audit log) and Pro at $99/month (up to 50 providers — everything in Core plus emergency coverage alerts, the holiday requests module, advanced analytics, priority support, and customization options).

Question 25

What counts as a "site"?

Accepted Answer

One emergency department location. If your group schedules multiple EDs, each is its own site with its own schedule, rules, and roster.

Question 26

What happens when my trial ends?

Accepted Answer

After 30 days, choose Core or Pro to keep going. Your setup, providers, rules, and schedule history are all preserved — nothing is lost when you convert.

Question 27

Can I switch plans or cancel?

Accepted Answer

Plans are month-to-month. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime; changes take effect at the next billing cycle.

Question 28

My department has more than 50 providers. Can I still use Slipstream ER?

Accepted Answer

Contact us at slipstreamlabsER@icloud.com — we'll talk through your group's size and needs.

Question 29

Is my data secure?

Accepted Answer

Slipstream ER stores scheduling data — providers, shifts, and requests — not patient information, and every account action is recorded in an audit log.

Question 30

Does Slipstream ER handle patient information?

Accepted Answer

No. Slipstream ER handles provider scheduling data, not patient health information, so PHI never enters the system in normal use.

Question 31

What is the audit log?

Accepted Answer

A complete record of schedule changes, approvals, swaps, and administrative actions — who did what, and when. Because the schedule is a compliance document, the audit trail lets you prove rest rules and time-off were honored.

Question 32

How do I get support?

Accepted Answer

Email slipstreamlabsER@icloud.com. Pro plans include priority support with faster response times.

Question 33

Can I request a feature?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely — roadmap priorities come from real departments. Send requests to slipstreamlabsER@icloud.com.

Question 34

I found a schedule that looks wrong. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

First check the violations report and the rule configuration for the providers involved — most "wrong" schedules trace back to a rule set differently than expected. If it still looks off, contact support with the schedule month and provider names and we'll dig in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

Schedule Generation

Fairness & Equity

Swaps & Requests

Integrations & Calendar Sync

Pricing & Billing

Security & Support

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