My boss reamed me for calling in sick for my shift tonight. I had the flu last week (called in 2 shifts), felt better, went back to work, and now have a respiratory thing going on, so I called in. My thought process is, why put a sick nurse on the floor if there can be a replacement who is healthy and won't be coughing, fever, congestion, etc. all over the place.
What would you do? I still think I did the right thing. Seems like a no-brainer to me, but now I feel guilty.
I called in Monday and Tuesday this week..for fever, chills, headache, cough, and on/off GI symptoms. I am pretty sick. Sunday night when I called in for monday, no problem. When I called in Monday for Tuesday..I got the "Are you kidding me", "sigh", "geeze"..end with me apologizing..and them saying "uh ok its fine" then me saying I dont call out and do you think I want to use all my vacation time up being sick..then them saying "go to bed feel better" Of course today I dragged my butt in there and all I hear all day is what am i doing there I look horrible and do I want to go home..Sometimes you really can't win..
Always amazes me that nursing is so brutal to each other when we are ill, but compassionate to the patients. I think we have forgotten that we need to take care of each other as well as ourselves. I do recognize that it is at times hard to find a replacement, but the reality is even though we are nurses we still do get sick.
I was following this post and wanted to add my two cents. In my humble opinion Please Stay Home/Call off if your sick. If you don't you risk making your Pt sick, your co-workers, and at the end of the day you might end up one of the patients! We have the wrong attitude about sickness and call offs in the work place in this country! If your sick in France you are Expected to stay home. And what makes it worse is management is happy to take advantage of the peer pressure the staff puts on each other. We have all been there yet no matter how sick you are or the reason you always hear the gossip between staff of "disbelief" that someone could call off. This is unfair to everyone involved!
I disagree with the belief of going in and let Them send you home because again you risk everyone including yourself and it might be hours till they find someone IF they find someone at all. You might be stuck there anyway. Management isn't too motivated when that have a warm body setting there sick or not and they will do whats best for them not you. Like wise I disagree with calling in to see if they "really" need you. In theory this sounds great and what a team player would do but I guarantee management wont see it that way. It gives the impression that your not really as sick as you say and if they didn't really need you well you wouldn't be on the schedule to begin with! So again you made it managements call and they will do whats best for them not you!
Do not feel bad about calling off and don't let management or anyone else bully you into. Take care of yourself so you can care better for your patients. If you end up in the bed next to them you are not helping anyone. Just like they tell you in an Airline emergency. Put your Oxygen mask on first!!
Your manager was upset because you made them do work. Too often (not just in Nursing) people take the promotion into management for the money, the power, the name sake or any number of reasons but when the rubber hits the road they don't want to have to do the work. Most places have a casual pool, PRN Nurses, or agency to pull people from when short. Its up to management to make the call to get a vacant spot filled due to a call off or other reason. Most times people want extra hours and are happy to fill the spot. And if they don't and run the floor short the floor staff needs to hold managements feet to the fire not the person who called off!
Be the Pt advocate we are supposed to be. Don't put you or your patients at risk going in sick. Take responsibility for yourself and your career and put your Oxygen mask on first!!
My boss reamed me for calling in sick for my shift tonight. I had the flu last week (called in 2 shifts), felt better, went back to work, and now have a respiratory thing going on, so I called in. My thought process is, why put a sick nurse on the floor if there can be a replacement who is healthy and won't be coughing, fever, congestion, etc. all over the place.
What would you do? I still think I did the right thing. Seems like a no-brainer to me, but now I feel guilty.
Our facility is starting to dinge employees for calling in. So, if i'm sick, I'll be there...my family had the swine and I got a point for it. Even though our medical director told us not to come to work sick..I laughed and thought whatever..Doesn't make much sense. But, hey, if they want me to come in and spread my germs..so be it..
I got in trouble a few months ago for "excessive absenteeism", 4 occurrences in a 12 months period. 1 was doctor excused due to poison ivy over 50% of my body. 2 were winter-illness related. 1 was probably just an "I don't feel good" kind of day. At that time, I told my boss I would be coming to work with our neutropenic oncology patients when I am sick as ever, spreading H1N1 to anyone I could find. She said "you can't come in sick." I said, "I can't lose my job."
Everytime thereafter when I came into work not at 100%, or if I was fine but people thought I looked under the weather, I reiterated that situation to them.
The past two days I was really feeling miserable. Headache, body aches, runny nose, cough, congestion. No fever and no GI issues though. I agonized over calling in sick, but for the wrong reasons. It was Sunday, and we're not supposed to call out on weekends. It was a day I switched to cover for someone, and we're not supposed to call out if we've switched to work. It was my first day back after Christmas eve, and we're not supposed to call out the day we're back after a holiday.
Then I decided the policy does not cover when NOT to call out, but when TO call out. I am sick. I called out sick. They are called "sick" days. And despite what I told my boss in September, I cannot be a safe or prudent nurse, the way I expect myself to be, if I have to follow someone else's policy (hospital or unit) to come in when I'm unwell just so I don't get in trouble.
Tomorrow I am off, but if I do not feel symptom free by 1845, I must, by policy, call out sick for the following 1845-0715 shift (we must be 24 hours symptom free without meds to return to work.) Then I will call out "feeling better but complying with policy". And I won't feel bad at all.
Tomorrow I am off, but if I do not feel symptom free by 1845, I must, by policy, call out sick for the following 1845-0715 shift (we must be 24 hours symptom free without meds to return to work.) Then I will call out "feeling better but complying with policy". And I won't feel bad at all.
I totally understand that it isn't considered a "write -up" if you get sent home. I have run into absense trouble myself (even having a doctor's note doesn't matter). One point I have, however, is if you come to work sick and then wait to get sent home often it is difficult to find a replacement mid shift. Sometimes the other nurses end up having to absorb or divide up the remaining patients. Or the charge nurse will have to take the load. I say if at all possible to call in advance so a replacement can be found.
My concern is that my hospital only allows us 2 days- they will count a day that you leave throwing up as an incomplete shift and whatever you do- don't be sick on a major holiday. I can't help but wonder - do we bring our sick kids in and have them stay in a room, what if a child of ours is having surgery? how about strep- the first 24 hours. We can not take off time- as sick time- for risk of being terminated. So- I can't wait until my next bout of strep- I will gladly go and work the local ER, with golfballs for glands and the inablity to speak. What will it take for my hospital to open up it's eyes are realize that staff gets sick?????
I worked on night- where I became sick and was throwing up in the garbage can- could not make it to the bathrroom when it started) One other nurse and myself in an ER. It is time to tell administration enough already
This is an ethical dilemma. Instead of studying Terri Schiavo in ethics class we should be talking about this. Yes, I'm serious. This is something that will eventually affect each of us. We put our co-workers and our patients at risk when we show up ill (either directly by transmission of infectious disease or due to diminished work capacity - often both).
To say "suck it up and work" is short sighted, selfish, and potentially unethical. To come in, with the intention of getting sent home is close to the same.
Unfortunately the way most systems are set up they encourage this. I would love to see some sort of utilization of staff when they are too sick for direct patient care, but still want to work and are able to work - such as phone work. Perhaps insurance verification?? Of course it is really hard to isolate someone and utilize them at the same time. But I wish there was something of this sort that could be developed.
I am reading over this now because i'm having a sick-dilema. I am a new nurse on orientation on a labor and delivery unit. I have strep throat and feel that it is not right to work with newborn babies while i'm sick. Trying to figure out what to do!!? Guess i'll go in tomorrow and see what they want me to do!! I didnt realize it was such a problem for sick nurses- sounds terrible!
Riley3
23 Posts
I called in Monday and Tuesday this week..for fever, chills, headache, cough, and on/off GI symptoms. I am pretty sick. Sunday night when I called in for monday, no problem. When I called in Monday for Tuesday..I got the "Are you kidding me", "sigh", "geeze"..end with me apologizing..and them saying "uh ok its fine" then me saying I dont call out and do you think I want to use all my vacation time up being sick..then them saying "go to bed feel better" Of course today I dragged my butt in there and all I hear all day is what am i doing there I look horrible and do I want to go home..Sometimes you really can't win..
Always amazes me that nursing is so brutal to each other when we are ill, but compassionate to the patients. I think we have forgotten that we need to take care of each other as well as ourselves. I do recognize that it is at times hard to find a replacement, but the reality is even though we are nurses we still do get sick.