In a clinic where several patients are scheduled to arrive at the same hour and are seen in the order they arrive, which scheduling method is being used?

• A. Wave scheduling
• B. Time Specified Scheduling
• C. Open hour scheduling
• D. Advance scheduling

Answer: (A)

Grouping several patients into a single hour block and having them seen in order of arrival is Wave scheduling. The defining feature is that multiple patients are scheduled within the same hour, and the actual order they are seen depends on who arrives first, not on preassigned times for each patient. This differs from advance scheduling, where each patient has a fixed appointment time; from time-specified scheduling, which also assigns specific times within the day; and from open-hour scheduling, where patients are seen as they arrive without a defined block. In your scenario, arrivals pile up in one hour and are attended in the order they come, which matches Wave scheduling.