anyone have experience and success scheduling health care staff into regular set schedules?

There is a managerial distaste for this but I've seen it done w/o hassles once one is committed to the idea of it working and being a win-win situation rather thn apower/control issue...staff is more satisfied due to ability to plan and rather than rearrange everyone each time to fill ';holes'; you simply plug in the regulars in their places and then work on the holes(OT shifts/agency/prn's/volunteers... The difficulty of shortages is here,but why punish/alienate/drive away dedicated staff?