Another call in!!

Specialties Geriatric

Published

Specializes in LTC, Med-SURG,STICU.

i am so sick and tired of working short i could just scream! we had a call in again today. every single day for over a week a cna has called in and the person in charge of the schedule can not find someone to replace the cna. so instead of getting my work done in a timely fashion i am running around like a chicken with her head cut off trying to get my work done and help the cnas with their work. this is stupid and i am stupid for putting up with these unsafe conditions. i wish management would just fire some of these people that call in all the time. this is getting old really fast.

this weekend i was in charge of the schedule. i had one call in for one of the halls and i no sooner hung up the phone from taking that call in then someone else was calling in for the same hall. by this point i have completely had it and asked the cna if it was absolutly necessary that she miss work that night. she gave me the same story that the person before her gave me. what am i to do? make her come in and prove that she has a temp. i gave up it did not matter how much of a guilt trip i gave this girl, she was not coming in that night. so i put calls out and was only able to find one replacement of the two missing cnas.

the thing that makes me mad is the fact that they will not do anything to stop all of the call ins. it is one thing if you are sick, but for crying out loud not all of these people are sick. one of the girls calling in was seen at the bar by another cna. they will probably call me into the office for not being polite enough to the cnas that called in. now i am done with my rant of the day.

0 Votes
Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

I can definitely feel/understand your frustration; however, on the other hand, If someone is sick-they are sick! I don't think it's fair that you should feel the need to make anyone feel guilty for calling in.

Seems to me like it's more of a staffing issue with management. There is no reason why there aren't any more available CNA's to be available to fill in. Is there not enough staff? If so, why? Could the working enviroment play a role in this issue, etc?

Not being judgemental, just pointing out a mere observation. I know you are venting ;-)

Good luck!

0 Votes
Specializes in LTC, Med-SURG,STICU.

Yes, but I find it suspicious when the same people are sick every weekend. I totally understand someone being sick or even just needing a day off every once in a long while. I would not dream of giving someone that hardly ever calls in a hard time. These are chronic I have the flu on my weekend to work people. Yes, the work environment does play a role in people calling in, but if people would show up and do their job the work environment would not be half bad most of the time.

0 Votes
Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.
Yes, but I find it suspicious when the same people are sick every weekend. I totally understand someone being sick or even just needing a day off every once in a long while. I would not dream of giving someone that hardly ever calls in a hard time. These are chronic I have the flu on my weekend to work people. Yes, the work environment does play a role in people calling in, but if people would show up and do their job the work environment would not be half bad most of the time.

I agree with you; however, this is not what was mentioned in your original posting. To me, it sounded like you were more upset at the fact of working short (understandably so) due to having a call in every single week and not finding the staff to replace the call in from various people.

Anyhow, seems like it's time for some disciplinary action towards those who are chronic callers.

Good luck

0 Votes
Specializes in Day Surgery, Agency, Cath Lab, LTC/Psych.

I feel your pain. I think that when working conditions decline call-offs increase. What is sad is that people who are probably legitimately sick are not going to be taken seriously because of the other goof-offs who are just calling in sick and going to the bar.

0 Votes
Specializes in dialysis (mostly) some L&D, Rehab/LTC.

I worked for a place once that when people called in on the WE they had to work 2 WE's in a row...talk about people showing up.. especially on payday WE's.

0 Votes
Specializes in LTC, Med-SURG,STICU.

Sorry, if I was not very clear in my original post. I think I am upset with everything right now. Thanks for responding to my post. Sometimes I do get my panties in a bunch over silly things. I am glad that I can post on here and someone will be tell me I need to chill out.

0 Votes
Specializes in acute.

Just a little comment. I agree with Jenny about the chronic call out needing to be disciplined. Although I am not a RN yet, have one more semester, I work at a hospital and it is the best work envirorment anywhere! great team the RN's dont look at me and say "Oh your just a CNA so I feel valued. Anyways the problem with keeping enough CNA"S on is the pay. I have 15yrs of experience and they started me off on the high end of $9.00 an hour. I took a pay cut from the LTC of $5.00 an hour just to get experience. So I believe that if the pay was better they would have more CNA"S to call in therefore the Managers would'nt tend to look the other way because of desperation. Just my 2 cents. Yes, some people are sick but most, from what I seen from a CNA standpoint some just dont want to work.:banghead::nurse:

0 Votes
Specializes in LTC, Med-SURG,STICU.
I worked for a place once that when people called in on the WE they had to work 2 WE's in a row...talk about people showing up.. especially on payday WE's.

If they would start doing that maybe these people would come into work, but so would the sick workers.

0 Votes
Specializes in ICU/ER.

Does your facility will allow time and a half for all hours that your "called in" ??

We went to that about a year ago and we never ever are short, money talks.

But if the Nurses picks up the slack and "run around like a chicken with thier head cut off" to try and get all the work done for the same amount of pay, mgmt will soon realize "hey we dont need these CNA" and cut them because hey nursing is picking up the slack just fine...

So if people go with out baths, too bad, if linnens dont get changed, sorry, if vital signs are taken ever 6 hours vs every 4-well uh oh.

My advice, do your best -do your work, keep your patients as safe as you can, forgo the baths and if you have to stay late, make sure you clock out late, and document why you stayed over, maybe they will get sick of paying OT to the Nursing staff that had to stay and do the CNA job.

Good luck!!

0 Votes
Specializes in acute.

Oh, I am sorry I just assumed that this was in a hospital. Well then I don't know just lazy people. Maybe if they had to go to school longer and put more effort into education they would take more pride in their job. Hope I am not offending anyone. I am a CNA. I do not mean that because you are a CNA you are not educated by any means!!:typing:redpinkhe

0 Votes
Specializes in acute.

Right on Racing-Car Mom! money talks:up:

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment