What it does
The rotation catalog is your program's list of rotations — the clinical experiences people are scheduled into. Each rotation carries a name, a short code, a display color, a specialty, a default duration, and the training sites where it runs. This keeps the schedule grid and every report speaking the same language.
Who it's for
Program administrators and coordinators who maintain the program's rotation offerings, and program directors who review what is offered.
How it works
Browsing. Open the schedule configuration area to see the catalog. Search by name, code, or site. Filter by specialty, active status, or the "Graded only" toggle (rotations linked to a grading-catalog entry). Reorder rotations to control how they appear in pickers. The status filter offers Active, Inactive, and All. Active is the default. All shows every rotation regardless of status.
Creating and editing. Sets a rotation's identity: name, unique code, color, specialty, default duration in weeks, and an optional department. A rotation can run at several sites, one marked primary, each with its own capacity. Link it to a matching grading-catalog entry. That's where the required-versus-elective classification comes from.
Duplicating. The quickest way to add a rotation similar to an existing one. The copy carries over description, specialty, duration, color, department, grading-catalog link, every site link, and the original's active status. It opens for editing immediately, with " (Copy)" appended to the name and "-COPY" to the code. Rename it before anyone uses it.
Deactivating. Removes a rotation from scheduling pickers but keeps its history intact; reactivating restores it. Opening a rotation shows its details, documents, supervisors, and related settings in one place.
Before you start
You need program administration access to create, edit, deactivate, or duplicate a rotation.
Decide the rotation's code — it must be unique in the program, and it shows up in grid cells, reports, and spreadsheet imports.
If your institution requires rotations to link to the grading catalog, have the matching grading-catalog entry ready before you save.
Do this
Open the schedule configuration page (
/schedules/configure) → you should see the rotation catalog, filters, and the status filter set to Active.Select New Rotation → the Create Rotation sheet opens with fields for name, code, Color, specialty, duration, Site, and Status.
In the sheet, enter a name and a unique code, pick a Color, and add at least one site → the site you mark primary shows first.
In the same sheet, link the rotation to a grading-catalog entry if your institution requires it, then select Save → the new rotation appears in the catalog under Active.
To start from an existing rotation instead, open its row menu and select Duplicate → the copy opens for editing with " (Copy)" in the name; rename it and save.
You're done when
The rotation appears in the catalog with the right code, color, specialty, and sites.
The rotation shows up in the schedule grid's rotation palette so it can be assigned.
A duplicated rotation carries the original's sites, description, and grading-catalog link, and is ready to rename.
Boundaries and limits
A rotation's code must be unique within the program; a duplicate code is rejected. Duplicating a rotation auto-adjusts the copy's code until it's free. If no variation is available, the code is left blank and you're asked to set one before saving.
Institutions can require every rotation to link to a rotation-type entry in the grading catalog. Where that policy is on, creating or unlinking a rotation without a link is blocked.
Required or elective status comes from the linked grading catalog entry, not set directly on the rotation.
Deactivating a rotation does not remove existing assignments; it only hides the rotation from new scheduling.
Deleting a rotation is a soft removal that preserves historical assignments and reports.
A rotation can have many sites, but only one primary site at a time.
Common questions
Q: What is the rotation code used for? A: It's the short identifier shown in tight spaces — grid cells, reports, exports. It's also one of the fields matched during spreadsheet imports.
Q: Can I change a rotation's color after schedules are built? A: Yes. Color is display-only. Changing it recolors the rotation everywhere, without touching assignments.
Q: We retired a rotation mid-year — what should we do? A: Deactivate it. People already assigned keep their assignments and history; the rotation just stops appearing for new assignments.
Q: I duplicated a rotation and cannot find the copy — where did it go? A: The copy takes the active status of the original, so a copy of an inactive rotation sits under the Inactive filter. Switch to All to see everything, or just rename and save the copy where it opened for editing.
Q: How do I mark a rotation as elective? A: Link it to the corresponding entry in your grading catalog; the elective or required classification carries over from there.
Vet education programs
Applies to: vet-education. Differences from the base article only.
What it does
In veterinary programs the rotation catalog typically lists the clinical services of your teaching hospital — Small Animal Surgery, Equine Medicine, Anesthesia, Diagnostic Imaging, and the like — plus external preceptorship placements. Each service entry carries the same identity fields as any rotation: name, unique code, color, specialty, default duration, and the locations where it runs.
How it works
Model each clinical service as one rotation. The teaching hospital is usually the primary site; satellite clinics, ambulatory services, and external preceptor practices are added as additional sites on the services that use them. Specialty filters work well when set to the service discipline (surgery, medicine, diagnostics), and colors help fourth-year students read a dense clinical-year grid at a glance.
Where the base article says learners, read veterinary students on their clinical year: the people scheduled into services are students, and the faculty on each service are its clinicians. The grading-catalog link works the same way — core services are marked required through the linked entry, and elective services (for example, exotics or behavior) are marked elective there.
Common questions
Q: Should each hospital service be its own rotation, or should we group by department? A: One rotation per schedulable service works best — it is the unit students are actually assigned to, and capacity and supervisor rosters attach at that level. Use the optional department field to group services for reporting.
Q: How do we handle external preceptorships? A: Create a rotation for the preceptorship experience and add each participating practice as a site on it, so student placements and site rosters stay reportable.
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