calling into work sick and feeling very guilty

[chellemaree88]

Hey everyone

I was hoping to get your opinion on calling into work sick. Im an RN in Australia and today had to call out to work sick as I had a massive uti with haematuria pain and frequency that kept me up all night last night and what not. I was meant to be the charge nurse today on the only full time member of staff on shift. Now I feel guilty very guilty. I guess what I am asking is should I have called off sick and should I feel guilty?

Thanks for your opinions

[monkeybug]

Clearly you haven't read this.

Ok, I read it, and I still stand by my statement. Maybe nursing used to be a calling, but now it is all business. When the hospitals began treating patients like commodities, that's when it lost its status as a calling. I'm incredibly dedicated to my patients and to my employer, but the last time I worked at a hospital I knew my place. I was there to assist in profits earnings, period, end of story. I must put myself first, because the hospital DOES NOT CARE about me.

[Kunzieo]

Yowza. The lack of a basic sense on humor from many posters on this thread is a bit frightening.

Are you all this intense in real life?

[sharpeimom]

I'm never good for very much on the first couple of days that I have a UTI and you probably are the same way. I think it's good that you called in sick because you most likely wouldn't have been at your most productive. Being sick isn't only having a cold or the flu or diarrhea. It can be lots of different things that aren't always visible to the naked eye, like your UTI is invisible.

I never called in often at all but when I needed a day or two here and there, I took it with no apologies.

[MomRN0913]

Even if nursing was a "calling" having a "calling" doesn't make us superhuman. When we are sick, we need to take a sick day too. I have only felt that guilt when I have taken a "mental health day" something i only took if I knew the unit was staffed well.

The hospital wasn't feeling so guilty making me coming to work during a snowstorm when I was pregnant and where I lived was in the mountains with 6 inches of snow. I went because they wouldnt give me PTO and we needed the money. I found out they were more than adequately staffed.

I called out sick on night because I had another bout of recurrent tonsilities which was really causing me pain. I was guilted to come in because we had patients holding in the ER. I barely made it through the night. Actually, at 3am, the nursing supervisor came to do rounds and sent me right to the ER I was pale. I ended up there 5 hours, very dehydrated, pretty tachy and febrile. Shortly after I had my tonsils removed. Let me tell you, when the doc gave me 3 weeks out of work, I took it and didn't feel an ounce of guilt!

[Aurora77]

Yowza. The lack of a basic sense on humor from many posters on this thread is a bit frightening.

Are you all this intense in real life?

I've seen too many "get out of the profession if you like getting paid, won't come in sick" martyr posts (usually by naive nursing students) to have a sense of humor about that.