Call in sick?

Nurses General Nursing

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She did it again!

We have this nurse who calls in sick so often! She will tell you right out, "I needed a mental health day", and smile! I think she should back off to a .8 if she is too overwhelmed by full time hours. We depend on people working their scheduled hours. Of course, it goes without saying that a SICK employee (contagious, fever, vomiting, etc.) does not belong at work.

Yes, our (weak) management has spoken to her, and yes, we are unionized so she has most of those days coming to her, although she is willing to take unpaid days whenever she 'needs' to. (The union is a good thing at our place due to such poor management, and our sick leave is generous.)

What do you think about mental health/sick days?

If only management would supply some type of backup system for nurses to fill in when appropriate. Recently, all of the "old timers" at work had lots of days to take before they were forfeited. A nurse would take a week off, then the next nurse would take the next week. By the time everyone was back at work, I was so exhausted, I had to take time off. Then, it started over again. It was several weeks before the schedule returned to normal and we had been short staffed the entire time. No one to cover, and of course, the amt. of patients would never be decreased if staff decreased. Well, if a doc. was out, the number of pts would decrease. No help for the nurses, though. Oh well,

I work with some that NEVER work an entire week...EVER. If you need a mental health day, take it. If you need to take a sick day, take it. When you're sick three out of 5 days a week, then you need to be in a hospital having some tests done to find out why...When they don't send the staff to replace that person, the work load gets heavier for everyone and then you abuse your staff members using time that you don't even have. How these people keep this job is beyond me :confused:

I too have worked sick because calling in doesn't make me feel good. I will call in for a sick child and just not worry about it but it bothers me for myself. The bad thing is no one minds if I call in - it just bothers me not to be at work when I'm expected too. Some weird catholic upbringing, I guess.

Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

When someone calls off, it is none of my business to know why. If we call in on a weekend we get to make it up within the next 8 weeks, if we call in on a holiday or our scheduled day before or after a paid holiday or vacation day, we accrue double points. There really isn't anything you can do about it. We have a few people that abuse FMLA. Nothing we can do about it.

I am appalled by so many of you feeling guilty about calling off sick when genuinely ill!!! Employers offer benefits like sick time and PTO for a reason!!

Covering sick calls is absolutely a responsibility of the hospital or nurse manager. Y'all should feel guilty about coming to work sick and contaminating your coworkers and patients!!

Specializes in surgical, neuro, education.

When I am sick--I am really sick. I have to agree with hapeewendy. I don't think everyone needs to know my business--but I also don;'t ask when I am charge and others call in sick. It is their business.

When you have frequent abusers--it might help to quietly ask them if there is anything they want to talk about. (If you have a relationship open for discussion). People who are chronic abusers usually get weeded out on our unit.

Is it weird or what, I counted almost half who call off and the rest call in. Is it related to area of country/world. We call in sick. Hmmm I think this could be a very interesting nursing study. :):)

I rarely call in sick and it is usually b/c my kids are sick. In the past when I found myself calling in sick frequently for myself for mental health days, it was b/c I was burnt out at work. There is obviously a reason when a nurse calls in sick frequently. Why does our compassion go out the window when it concerns our fellow nurses? The nurse in question probably needs a long vacation and some TLC. And yes, she is entitled to the sick time that was earned. But, I also agree that it places a burden on the other nurses. The employer should be covering the shift with another nurse to fill in the void. That would take much of the burden off the nurses who are there working the shift and lessen the resentment.

Specializes in cardiac, diabetes, OB/GYN.

If one earns sick days it is my opinion one has the right to use them, however, while this nurse shows poor judgement in telling others that she is taking a mental health day, it is the managers who are failing you. Attendance goes on record. At our lovely unionized institution, management will speak to you if you go over a designated amount of sick time. one day or seven in a row count as an occurrence and they follow up with a oral and then written warning with termination threatened shortly after that. The union won't touch it until someone has actually been threatened inappropriately with dismissal but the increased stress and incidence of people coming in sick does nothing for morale...Its your earned time and thats that....

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

Howdy Yall

From deep in the heart of texas

Well yall. sick days are there for a purpose. You can save them up for a major catastrophe or you can squander them as you see fit. We do have that choice to make on an Individual basis. Im not one who normally calls in ever. Ive been sent home more often than Ive called in. But I have also called in for a mental health day, rather than elaborate on some of the personal probs I was ahving at that time. My supervisor just asked if there was anyhting else I needed. She didnt try to make me feel worse by wanting to know what was going on. She just trusts all of us to be fair. And I wouldnt have been worth a hoot and a holler that night anyhow

keep it in the short grass yall

teeituptom

I think a sick policy with rewards rather than punishment would alleviate repeat offenders. Hospitals should give a person one added vacation day for every 3-6 months you go without calling in sick. Our hospital doesn't do this. Anyone work at a hospital with this type of system? Does it help cut down on sick calls?

Specializes in CV-ICU.

After 33 years of working as an RN, my body doesn't tolerate my working more than .8 anymore. I deal with a chronic pain issue, and end up taking about 5-6 sick days a year. Sometimes it is necessary for me to take a mental health day also; and then if family memebers are ill I take a PLOA (and don't get paid for it). My nurse manager will talk to us if we seem to have a pattern of misusing our sick time (such as the nurse who called in sick whenever the Vikings played a few years ago, LOL!!); but we have a central staffing office and floats who can fill in for most of the sick calls each day. The hospital also uses agency nurses if necessary; we have to call in 2 hours before the shift starts for Days, and 4 hours ahead for Eves and Night shifts.

My hospital staffs according to patient acuity instead of just numbers and this makes all of the difference in the world, not only in the units but also on the floors. I think in this day and age it would be mpossible to staff by numbers only; no wonder ppl call in sick!

i had surgery on my wrist a bit back it was workmens comp. well not only did i have to use my personal vacation time for the first two days i had to use it twice since the surgery was rescheduled and i had to go through preadmit all over again with bloodwork etc it was terrrible i didn't even get a vacation that year on top of suffering with the pain and loss of full mobility now so as for using or having a combined bank forget take it from someone who has been there it really stinks!!!

originally posted by hogan4736

put all time off into one pool...vacations and sick time come out of the same pool...

:eek:

at our hospital in south texas they have all holiday,sick time vacation combined into one bank,the catch is you have to use two vacation days before you can use any sick days....so in essence it encourages the nurse to take off at least 3 days since since lost her vacation when she was ill.

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