How does your hospital/unit handle call ins?

[deespoohbear]

I was curious to see how other facilities handle this touchy subject. I was working as the house supervisor on Sunday morning. I had both nurses scheduled to work the 3-11 shift in the extended care unit call in ill. This department is notorious for calling in, especially on weekends. But, nothing seems to be done about it. At the LTC facility I worked at a few years ago before I became a nurse was fairly strict about call ins. If you called in on your weekend to work, you got to work the next one, no questions asked. That policy pretty much eliminated any "questionable" call ins. My current facility doesn't seem to have much of a policy in place except that if you miss more that two days do to illness, you need a doctor's note. Each department manager just handles each situation as it comes along. I feel their should be a hospital wide policy on call ins, and the same rules should apply to everyone, regardless. I know I just dreaming, but I was wondering what other facilities do. I know just about everyone gets sick once and a while, and that I have no problem with. It is the same people who call in all the time. Thanks for letting me vent. :(

[VAC]

Well honestly, a doctor's note would give the full explanation, wouldn't you think?

Well, gee, that would depend on how the note was worded. It could say that you were under this doctors care and advised not to work. I don't think an employer is always entitled to details, beyond that.

I can see that no one agrees with me on this subject, so I'll drop it.

This is still my favorite nurse's website

:)

[fiestynurse]

**********

[micro, RN]

Just old micro chirping up, but you can't hear me because I am so small!!! Theory-----only from my own mind.....is this the same 205 that cause the negative/hostile work environments that so often we deal with in our day to day or night to night work situations..... as nurses, we should definitely be allowed our sick time without "harrassment", but there are always that few that ruin for all. Where I am at, I think(I don't use my time off for sick time, so would have to look it up.....but something like so many hours of unscheduled hours off allowed, then after that you are counselled!!! Tardiness, routine also goes toward this also!!!

:eek: Micro:eek:

If I care for sick people should I not be allowed to be sick!!!

[Charles S. Smith, RN, MS]

There is another issue at stake here. What about those of us who do not abuse our time off, but collude with others who do? You know the ones...they tell you on the sly that they had "something more important to do than work" so they called in. What is your position? Do you slink away and let them get away with it or do you stand up and let them know that you do not appreciate their lack of regard for you and other team mates? I used to shrug it off early on, but my value system today won't allow it. If we don't address it, we condone it. The more we condone it, the more unprofessional the behaviors become and then we all have to suffer for the 20% that cause most of our problems (not just on absenteeism, tardiness, but also with poor care, lax work ethic, etc, etc. We need to think about exercising a little peer pressure to help make our work lives less rigidly ordered by arbitrary rules that box us in. Just my thoughts...

my best to all

chas

[PButler]

I don't beleive that everyone should be branded the same way. My sick time is mine and if I need it, I would like to use it without being treated like some misbehaved adolescent. Sure, people abuse it, which really sucks when it's the rest of the team that suffers because of it. The answer lies in getting rid of the people who show patterns of abuse and hiring enough staff to cover when the need arises.

Our hospital separates sick time, vacation etc.. I think this encourages people to use their sick time because what you don't use, you lose. I think combined PTO is much better sinced most people would rather save their time for vacation and not use it (or waste it) unless they really were sick. Another idea is to offer end-of-the-year buy-out of unused sick time....personally, I would love to see that fat check at the end of a year!

[mcl4]

Originally posted by VAC

Well honestly, a doctor's note would give the full explanation, wouldn't you think?

Well, gee, that would depend on how the note was worded. It could say that you were under this doctors care and advised not to work. I don't think an employer is always entitled to details, beyond that.

I can see that no one agrees with me on this subject, so I'll drop it.

This is still my favorite nurse's website

:)

If you've seen physician note, most write a clear explanation on reason the person can not work, length of time they should be off as well as any limitation that might be necessary like a lifting/weight restriction when they return to work.

Explanations why they can't work can are listed as injuries, recovery from a surgical procedure or infectious type illness.

Most staff members do not have a problem with these type of physician notes given to their employers and sometimes they are necessary in order to collect sick time or short term disability benefits.

[mcl4]

[i think combined PTO is much better sinced most people would rather save their time for vacation and not use it (or waste it) unless they really were sick. Another idea is to offer end-of-the-year buy-out of unused sick time....personally, I would love to see that fat check at the end of a year! [/b]

A policy at my former job was that you were paid out half of your sick time you didn't use at the end of the year. It was great to get an extra pay check near Christmas.

[micro, RN]

Charles, new thought to ponder. What do we condone........and not just in regard to this thread's ? about absenteeism, but the other issues of our becoming more negative work environment???

No answers, but just raised thought in my mind individually and maybe will to others. (I am sure will, cause if I can get it, so can others).

Micro:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[psnurse]

Where I work now, there is no policy regarding weekend call ins. Sometimes they are a problem.

Where I used to work, it was policy that you made up the weekend time. Not necessarily the next weekend, but sometime in the future. The nurse manager kept a list of who called in on what weekend day. She would plug you into the schedule when she needed coverage and mark the weekend call in to be made up off the list.

Once I found myself on an extra Saturday night. I asked why. So she showed me the list where I had a Saturday call in 6 months before. Was time to pay the piper.

[psnurse]

It is worthy to note, we had very few call ins on the weekend. People would come to work half dead to avoid making up the time.

Not sure this was the best way to do things, but it was effective.

[trixie]

Charles,

What an interesting point you bring up! I had this happen to me very recently, in fact. My sister and I are both nurses at the same hospital, but on different floors. I also supervise a few times a month. A couple of weeks ago she told me she was going to call off Friday (it was Monday). I said "OOOHHHH---don't tell me things like that!!" I told her if she called off sick when she really wasn't sick---she was definately lining herself up to get sick. Well, she did have to call off sick that day---but she was flat on her back sick with gastro--that is except for when she was in the bathroom! I took her some sprite, so I know she was really sick!

As a supervisor, I understand that people get truly ill. When people call off to me, I am required to ask them what is wrong and document it. The problem then becomes mine to cover them. Last night I had to have a nurse manager who had worked all day come in and cover her own floor that night 11-7 . I did find her coverage for today so she didn't have to work 16 hrs straight

[VAC]

Originally posted by mcl4

If you've seen physician note, most write a clear explanation on reason the person can not work, length of time they should be off as well as any limitation that might be necessary like a lifting/weight restriction when they return to work.

I have seen and been given preprinted doctors notes, where the doctor just fills in the dates of care and signs it.