> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.planmyrounds.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How seniority and senior/junior mix work

> Every doctor is Senior or Junior, and shifts can require a minimum number of seniors — here's how that level is used across scheduling.

Every doctor profile has a **Level**: Senior or Junior. It's a single field, but it feeds several parts of scheduling.

> [!NOTE]
>
> This page describes the standard Senior/Junior model. Some organisations instead use configurable [Staffing Roles](https://www.planmyrounds.com/docs/team/staffing-roles.md), with more than two levels and a rank on each. If a doctor's profile shows a **Staffing Role** field instead of **Level**, your organisation is on that model.

## Where seniority is used

> **Shift coverage**
>
> A shift's [Min Seniors Required](https://www.planmyrounds.com/docs/concepts/coverage-requirements.md) sets how many of its required doctors must be Senior. This is a hard constraint.

> **Senior-to-junior ratio**
>
> On organisations using the advanced scheduling engine, shifts can require a defined ratio — for example, one senior for every three juniors. Also a hard constraint. See [Roster constraints](https://www.planmyrounds.com/docs/rosters/roster-constraints.md#senior-to-junior-ratio).

> **Assignment order**
>
> The engine's first solving pass assigns senior doctors before filling remaining slots — see [Solver behaviour](https://www.planmyrounds.com/docs/scheduling-engine.md#solver-behaviour).

> **On the calendar**
>
> Senior doctors are marked with an asterisk (`*`) next to their name, so you can confirm the ratio on any given day at a glance.

## If a shift can't meet its senior requirement

If there aren't enough active, eligible senior doctors to satisfy every shift's Min Seniors Required or ratio across the period, generation fails — this is one of the more common failure causes on smaller teams. See [Duty Plan generation failed](https://www.planmyrounds.com/docs/troubleshooting/duty-plan-generation-failed.md).

## Next steps

> **[Update a doctor's profile](https://www.planmyrounds.com/docs/team/doctor-profiles.md)**
>
> Set or correct a doctor's Level.

> **[Coverage requirements](https://www.planmyrounds.com/docs/concepts/coverage-requirements.md)**
>
> How Required Doctors and Min Seniors Required work together.


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