jacks
The best residency scheduling software in 2026
Viewers, enterprise platforms, GME suites and done-for-you services all call themselves scheduling software. Here is what each one actually does, and what to ask before you pick one.
The job is a whole year, not a draft
A residency schedule goes through five stages: someone sets up the program’s rules, a first draft gets built, the draft gets refined as rules nobody wrote down come up, it gets published, and then it has to survive a year of real life. Most tools are strong in one or two of those stages.
Where each kind of tool helps
Filled: the tool does that stage for you. Light: it helps, but the work is still yours.
| Kind of tool | Setup | Build | Refine | Publish | Run the year | In short |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viewers | Not covered | Not covered | Not covered | Does it for you | Does it for you | show who’s on |
| Enterprise platforms | Not covered | Helps, the work is yours | Helps, the work is yours | Does it for you | Does it for you | you set it up |
| GME suites | Not covered | Not covered | Not covered | Helps, the work is yours | Does it for you | log and report |
| Done-for-you services | Does it for you | Does it for you | Does it for you | Helps, the work is yours | Not covered | hand you a file |
| Modern manual tools | Not covered | Not covered | Helps, the work is yours | Does it for you | Does it for you | you build it |
| jacks | Does it for you | Does it for you | Does it for you | Does it for you | Does it for you | with you, all year |
A simplification for comparison. Products change; ask each vendor to show you every stage with your own rules.
The kinds of residency scheduling software
Schedule viewers (Amion)
Amion is the name most residents know: a long-running on-call directory, now owned by Doximity, with a free mobile app for viewing who is on. It is very good at showing the schedule. Building it, and checking it against your rules, is still mostly up to you.
Good for: programs that already have a schedule and need everyone to see it. Watch out for: the hours it takes to build each block by hand.
Enterprise scheduling platforms (QGenda, Lightning Bolt)
These are powerful systems built for health systems, with deep rules engines and the ability to generate schedules. They were designed mainly around attending and shift scheduling, and you have to teach them your program: residency rules, ACGME limits and call equity all become configuration work. Pricing is usually by quote.
Good for: large organizations with scheduling staff and IT support. Watch out for: a setup that lands on a chief resident with a one-year term and a full clinical load.
GME management suites (New Innovations, MedHub)
These run the rest of graduate medical education: evaluations, case logs and duty-hour logging. They hold rotation and call schedules and check logged hours for violations, which is valuable for compliance. They check hours after the fact; they don’t build a schedule that avoids the problem in the first place.
Good for: program-wide records and duty-hour reporting. Watch out for: treating “we can see the violation” as “we prevented it.”
Done-for-you services (Scheduling Wizard, Thrawn)
You send your rules and requests; they send back a finished, optimized schedule, sometimes as a spreadsheet you then load into a viewer. Great for the build. Ask what happens in March, when someone calls out on a holiday weekend and the schedule needs to change today.
Good for: getting a clean first draft without learning software. Watch out for: every change after delivery going back to you, or back to them.
Modern manual tools (Chiefly)
Friendlier interfaces for building the schedule yourself. Easier than a spreadsheet; you are still the one placing every shift and catching every conflict.
What to ask before you choose
Building the schedule
- Does it build the draft for you?From your rules, the whole year, not one month at a time.
- Does every draft pass every rule?Rules should be checked while it builds, not flagged after you publish.
- Is fair measured against targets?Calls per person against a target for their class, FTE or preference, with the counts visible to everyone.
- Can you finish it by hand?Move anything, and it rechecks the whole schedule.
Running the year
- Who helps you set it up?Someone should turn how your program runs into rules with you, not hand you a manual.
- What happens when someone calls out?It should find who can cover, keep everyone near their target, and track who owes a call back.
- How do requests come in?Time-off and preference surveys in one place, before you build, instead of texts.
- Do residents see it where they live?Their own schedule and counts, with every change on their phone and calendar.
Where jacks fits
jacks is a scheduling platform for residency programs and attending groups: call, rotations, OR and clinic. It is built for the whole year, not just the draft.
- Setup, together. We sit down with you, turn how your program runs into rules, and stay until your first schedule is published.
- It builds the schedule. Every draft passes every rule and is balanced against each person’s target. When a seat can’t be filled, it names the rule in the way.
- You make the final calls. Tell jacks a rule in plain words, or move anything by hand; it rechecks the whole schedule.
- It runs the year. Swaps and call-outs go to whoever is eligible and under their target, and everyone affected gets the change on their phone and calendar.
Want to see the difference on real data? We tested a chatbot against a real program’s year, and our guide covers how to build a fair call schedule whatever tool you use.
Questions programs ask
What is the best scheduling software for a residency program?
It depends on what you need it to do. If you only need residents to see the schedule, a viewer is enough. If you want the schedule built for you, checked against every rule, and kept right through swaps and call-outs all year, look for a tool that does all three, with someone who helps you set it up.
Is Amion free?
Residents can view schedules in Amion’s free mobile app. Programs pay to publish schedules in it, and building the schedule is still mostly up to you.
QGenda or Amion for residency call?
QGenda has a deeper rules engine and can generate schedules, but setup is heavy and it was built mainly for attending and shift scheduling. Amion is simpler and widely used for viewing who is on call. Neither sets your program up for you.
Can software build an ACGME-compliant call schedule?
Yes, if it checks every rule while it builds, not after. Look for a tool that refuses to hand you a draft that breaks the 80-hour, one-day-in-seven or rest rules, and tells you which rule is in the way when a seat can’t be filled.