A rant: sick time use and policies

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Ok. I totally understand that nursing is a 24/7/365 operation. Really. And I knew when I went to nursing school that I'd be working weekends and holidays, and planning my vacations six month in advance, at least while I worked in the hospital setting.

But seriously, why bother even giving people the opportunity to earn sick time if you are going to punish them for using it? I myself, though never warned or terminated for it, was routinely "dinged" on my annual evals for "excessive absenteeism".....though I only took sick time I had earned. Every year I had the same response for my manager: "I understand your policy, but I disagree with it. If I am sick or I have a sick child, and I have sick time to take, I am going to take it. I call in well in advance of the shift so I don't leave anyone in a bind. I have also been known to come in when asked on my day off because of other staff sick calls, or to help cover vacations. I disagree that it's excessive absenteeism if it's within the limits of the time I earn." And every year we'd agree to disagree, and I'd go back to the floor....

Now I work in hospice. I work very few weekends, I have paid holidays, and if I call out sick I am told "Feel better....take care of yourself." In fact, the few times I have gone to work sick because of the expectations I had absorbed that that's just what you do as a nurse...and I was told "Go home! You're sick! We don't want you seeing patients like that!".

It just makes me so angry that so many of us are made to feel like criminals or bad employees for taking more than 2 or 3 sick days per year! Sometimes life just doesn't work that way! And no one should be made to feel bad about that!

Ok, rant over.

Andrea

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/surg, pediatrics, gi, gu,stepdown un.

I agree with andre, if you are sick or a child is sick you should be able to take your sick time. What are you saving it for. I think it is because if you leave your job they do not have to pay for sick time. At my job in a hospital ,they make you take your payed time off before you can take your sick time.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

Thank You!!!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU.

i agree - we have the sick time available to us and managers should be able to tell the difference between an employee who is excessively absent and those who call out for a darn good reason.

plus where is the sense in doing pt care while we ourselves are sick?

not safe for pt, or us.

:twocents:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

I've worked sick many times and each time it was more horrendous than the other. Heck, I've thrown up in a patients bathroom because I wasn't able to make it to the staff bathroom. Management never once asked if I needed to go home. I would have called in but the unit I worked on at the time was excessively short and I didn't want to leave my co-workers short staffed. Thank god, my co-workers were understanding enough to help me out with my assignment when I needed it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Funny how the managers take off when they need to, isn't it?

It's all about the bucks, guys, all about the bucks.

Intimidation is a pretty effective management technique but not a very admirable one. Wise up and take care of yourself first. In every way.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatrics/Med-Surg/ED.

There will always be those who get sick one day/month & it seems to the rest of us who never call in, that they are taking advantage- and people have varying degrees of what could be considered "sick". One hospital I worked at had a policy of 12 sick days/yr, then b/c of hospital-wide abuse of sick days, they changed the policy to 10, then later to 6/yr. However, if you were out 2 or more days in a row, that was considered one absence, tho you needed a doctor's note to return to duty. We were not allowed to take sick time for children- that was considered an 'absent' day. My husband was able to take turns caring for the sick kids, so we were able to work it out.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I just called in this morning for the 2nd time in my life. While I hated to do it, I'm miserable and in no way should be around patients. I was told to make sure I go to the doctor to get a note. A note? What, are we in Jr. High? This is my profession. You expect me to make clinical judgments regarding the welfare of my patients but you don't think I can determine when it is appropriate to come to work? While I may have strep and end up going to the doc (I seem to be a strep magnet!), I probably don't, it's probably viral, and I can't image crawling out of my house to sit in a waiting room at some Urgent care just to get a note. What a waste of healthcare resources!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

I wouldn't bother with the note. I had one manager say i needed the doctor's note to which I said, no I'm not getting one. I said "i have the flu, whats the doctor gonna tell me that I don't already know, now you can let me have the day off or I can infect all of my co-workers and patients"

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I just called in this morning for the 2nd time in my life. While I hated to do it, I’m miserable and in no way should be around patients. I was told to make sure I go to the doctor to get a note. A note? What, are we in Jr. High? This is my profession. You expect me to make clinical judgments regarding the welfare of my patients but you don’t think I can determine when it is appropriate to come to work? While I may have strep and end up going to the doc (I seem to be a strep magnet!), I probably don’t, it’s probably viral, and I can’t image crawling out of my house to sit in a waiting room at some Urgent care just to get a note. What a waste of healthcare resources!

I had this same experience when I had the flu a few years back....missed two consecutive days of work and was required to get a doctor's note. I went to my MD's office but saw a covering MD who, when I told her why I was there shook her head and said, "Wow, what are you, three? I can't believe they're making you do this....I'll be right back".

She did no physical exam, just left the room, wrote my note, came back in and said "Feel better....go home and go to bed." Her note said: "Andrea has the flu. She may return to work tomorrow if she is feeling well enough, otherwise she may return at her discretion. Thank you for wasting an office visit by making her come in."

:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle

It just makes me burn....I agree with you completely. We take care of incredibly sick patients--why is it so difficult to see that we do, in fact, know when we just have the sniffles and are capable of safe care versus when it is unwise, unsafe and generally a lousy idea for us to come to work?

Andrea

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg, Peds, Ortho, LTC and MORE.

I too, think at times the need for a note from a physician is absurd.

Unless it is to "clear the need for isolation" then no note should be needed.

I once needed to call in as I was going into emergency surgery, I called from the Pre Op waiting area!! To bad I had ruptured an ovary at work and no one would relieve me so I had to finish my shift then take my self to the ER and from there was taken directly to the OR/

My employeer actually called the hospital to see if I had indeed been admitted. (In the DAys before HIPPA).

Can you imagine my surprise when I was told I would need a note?

I did get one for them, note siad: I will need 6 weeks to 9 weeks off after emergency surgery....I used the time off to find another place of employment, since they called an average of 3 times a week to see if I could come in to work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.
I had this same experience when I had the flu a few years back....missed two consecutive days of work and was required to get a doctor's note. I went to my MD's office but saw a covering MD who, when I told her why I was there shook her head and said, "Wow, what are you, three? I can't believe they're making you do this....I'll be right back".

She did no physical exam, just left the room, wrote my note, came back in and said "Feel better....go home and go to bed." Her note said: "Andrea has the flu. She may return to work tomorrow if she is feeling well enough, otherwise she may return at her discretion. Thank you for wasting an office visit by making her come in."

:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle

It just makes me burn....I agree with you completely. We take care of incredibly sick patients--why is it so difficult to see that we do, in fact, know when we just have the sniffles and are capable of safe care versus when it is unwise, unsafe and generally a lousy idea for us to come to work?

Andrea

Thats great. I'm gonna have my doc write the same thing next time my manager says I need a note.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment