Nurse's: Find your own replacement when ill

Specialties Geriatric

Published

I work at a LTC facility. Lots of issues. State survey gave over 17 citations recently. We do have some attendance issues (as All places do) Our "acting DON/acting Admin" (her main title is clinical coord) recently stated at a meeting that all nursing staff is to find their own replacement when ill. If they can not find their own replacement, then, they are to call scheduling or her. If it becomes a trend, they will be fired.

Now, i can understand finding your own replacement in a factory...or a store. But in healthcare?? Doesn't this just encourage those who are ill and can not find their own replacement to come into work sick?? They have not yet put this "new policy" in writing. Also, they switched all nurses to every other weekend, instead of every 3rd weekend, when asked politely "can you really just go and switch our hours and times of work?" Acting DON replies "We can do, whatever we want to" Nice. Just wondering if finding your own replacement is a new trend in healthcare, when you are sick???

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No it's not. I applied to be an RN not a staffing coordinator. So it's not my job to find my replacement. If I'm sick, I will call out-----as long as you don't do it habitually, you can show a doctor's note when asked by your boss, and you call within the required time frame, that should be fine. If the place you work at is too aggravating and your boss bullies you, then try to find a better place to work at because it's only a matter of time that you will burn out or they will fire you because you cannot be their robot.

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My job does that too, and it is annoying as all get out. I agree, I'm not a staffer, I'm an RN, and YOUR lack of planning, boss person, is NOT my problem. Just another tactic to get us to work longer hours and not have to pay more money to fix the problem.

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Specializes in Tele, Acute.

Got a better one yet.

We need a Doctor's note after calling in for 1 shift.

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Specializes in Tele, Acute.

Another question about Mgt.

Our NM will post monthly meetings, usually at 4pm (convenient for them, our shifts are 6a-6p and 6p-6a).

All the meetings are MANDATORY.

I always thought if you call a mandatory meeting for shift workers you have to offer at least 2 times.

So if I work the night before, punch out at 6:30 or 7a, I have to be back at work for 4pm and then work another 12 hr shift.

To me, that is not safe.

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Specializes in cardiothoracic surgery.

My mom works at in assisted living. She had to go into work sick once because she couldn't find anyone to work for her.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, School Nurse.

A doctor's note after missing just one shift would be hard for me to come up with. I am lucky to get into our clinic within 24-48 hrs of calling for an appointment...likely I would not be sick then and would need to miss more work to just get seen. There is a triage type nurse, who can sometimes get you a same day appointment. They usually discourage you from coming in for acute illnesses of one or two days duration, within reason. They like you to use the nurse advice line, and then you are told to push fluids, take Tylenol, and come in IF you are still sick after 48 hrs. or so. I would be stuck going to urgent aid, and paying 75+ dollars cash--insurance won't reimburse.

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Specializes in Certified Wound Care Nurse.

My husband had emergency gall bladder surgery last fall and had complications following it. I called in twice without replacement. Once on the day of his surgery and the other when I had to rush him back when he had complications. Both days were considered absentees and my PTO time was charged.

The expectation is that when I am sick, I will have to find my replacement.

Rivernurse

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i was given a writ up for being absent (calling in sick with medical leave ) for 3 days in 7 months period....and i was like what the hell is this for :uhoh3: and my on was like ....you know we have a policy to give writ up if you are absent for 3 days in 12 months period even if you have doctors note its still considered an absence ......and couple of weeks later i got an other writ up for calling in on weekend (monday morning- is it stilll a weekend:mad:)

and that writ was for one of those three days tooo:mad:........

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Now, i can understand finding your own replacement in a factory...or a store. But in healthcare?? Doesn't this just encourage those who are ill and can not find their own replacement to come into work sick?

It is not right no matter what type of business you work in. An employee who is sick whether in healthcare, a factory or a store should not come in sick, no matter what.

My employer does not have this policy and if they did I would no longer work for them. If you are sick then you stay home and it's their problem to find a replacement, it's not the sick employees problem! If they wanted a doctors note for one day sick then they are being unreasonable. People don't go to the doctor everytime they are sick.

Healthcare facilities are a business and it's their responsibility to find replacements when their employees are sick.

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Forget that!

99% of the time my coworkers who aren't working will not answer their phone because they know what is on the other end...*sighs*

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Specializes in A myriad of specialties.
Got a better one yet.

We need a Doctor's note after calling in for 1 shift.

What happens if you don't have the doctor's note?

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