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Block scheduling lets you define and manage reserved operating room time for surgeons. View, create, and modify block allocations using a weekly calendar interface.
Block scheduling is an admin-only feature. Non-admin users can view the block calendar but cannot create, edit, or delete blocks.

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What is a block?

A block is a reserved time slot that assigns a specific operating room to a surgeon for a recurring (or one-time) period. For example: “Dr. Smith: OR 1, Mondays 8 AM – 5 PM, weekly.”

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Calendar layout

The main view is a 7-column weekly grid (Sunday through Saturday) with a 24-hour timeline and 15-minute snap-to-grid. Block cards appear as colored rectangles showing the surgeon name, room, time range, and a recurrence icon. The calendar auto-scrolls to 6:00 AM on load.
ControlAction
Today buttonJump to the current week (shortcut: T)
Previous / Next arrowsNavigate between weeks (shortcuts: ← / →)
Month + year labelDisplayed in the header for context
The left sidebar provides:
  • Mini calendar — compact date picker for quick navigation to any week
  • Surgeon filter — checkboxes with color swatches to show or hide individual surgeons
  • Select All / Deselect All — bulk toggle for surgeon visibility
  • Show Holidays — overlays facility closures as grey diagonal stripes on affected days
  • Create Block button (admin only)
Each surgeon has a persistent color (stored in the database). Click a color swatch in the sidebar to change it.

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Creating a block

Two ways to create a block:
  1. Drag selection — click and drag on the calendar grid to select a time range. A popover opens with the time pre-filled.
  2. Create Block button — opens the popover with empty fields.
FieldDescription
SurgeonSelect from the facility surgeon list
RoomSelect an operating room
Day of weekPre-filled from the click location
Start / End time15-minute increments
RecurrenceNone, Weekly, Biweekly, or Monthly
The popover warns you if the selected time overlaps an existing block for the same surgeon or room.

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Recurrence types

TypeBehavior
NoneOne-time block on a specific date
WeeklyRepeats every week on the same day
BiweeklyRepeats every two weeks
MonthlyRepeats on the same day each month

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Editing and deleting

Click an existing block card to open the edit popover. All fields are editable. A Duplicate button copies all fields into a new block creation form.

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Deleting blocks

  • One-time block — deleted immediately with a 6-second undo toast
  • Recurring block — a modal asks whether to delete just this occurrence or the entire series
When you delete a single occurrence of a recurring block, the date is added to the block’s exception dates rather than removing the block entirely.
Deleting a single occurrence is non-destructive — the rest of the series continues unaffected. Use this for surgeon vacation days or temporary schedule changes.

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Keyboard shortcuts

KeyAction
TJump to today
←Previous week
→Next week
NNew block

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Holiday overlays

When “Show Holidays” is enabled, facility closures and holidays appear as grey diagonal stripes over the affected days. Blocks can still exist on holidays but are visually flagged.

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FAQ

The block scheduler will warn you about overlapping blocks for the same room. However, it doesn’t prevent creation — some facilities intentionally share rooms. The warning ensures it’s a deliberate decision.
Blocks are informational — they show allocated time on the calendar. Creating a case in a room doesn’t require a matching block, but the block calendar helps coordinators respect surgeon allocations.
Currently, blocks are created manually through the calendar UI. For bulk import, work with your administrator to use the API.

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Next steps

Rooms

See how blocks translate to daily room assignments.

Cases

View cases scheduled within block times.