Calling in Sick

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When you call in sick, do you think it's fair that they ask you why? I mean, obviously, you are 'calling in SICK'... I called in today because I was basically feeling like crap, and I was a little surprised when the nursing director asked 'well whats wrong?' ( In our hospital we have a sick line, you dont speak to the charge nurse on your unit like in most hospitals I've seen )... Just wanting a little input on this one :)

Specializes in cardiology-now CTICU.
LMAO! For real. Sounds like a drama queen to me. Someone who always has a tragedy in thier lives...Yes you know the person, everyone has a drama friend. If they dont have drama, something is wrong and this person usually doesnt last long after the 5th time they have called in because they have no real control over thier lives...Take control and watch the drama disappear! Everyone has personal problems, but not everyday and every min. Teachers, your boss, and anyone else you know doesnt really care that your dog is sick, or your uncle died again. Sorry fighting with a spouse is NO reason to call in for work unless he has beat you to a bloody pulp (I would still want a Dr. note). Thats chicken #&*!. Sorry me and Billy are fighting over the last pop tart and I aint leaven till I've won. errrrr

DRAMA DRAMA:trout:

hey tex- did you notice how everyone else who posted to this thread has managed to express thier opinion without insulting others?

just curious.

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once I got sick while on vacation at the beach. I really hated that and had to take an extra three days to recuperate to drive home. When I got back to work my boss knew that I had not come back from the beach when I orginally planned and my co workers accused me of not being sick at all so I just told them that it did't matter where I was I was still tooo sick to come

in ...I just happened to be at the beach at that particular time.

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Specializes in HH/LTC/WM.
hey tex- did you notice how everyone else who posted to this thread has managed to express thier opinion without insulting others?

just curious.

LMAO, Im sorry if that thread insulted you. But now I'm just curious, did it insult you because mabe that is you or you just have a soft heart for idiots that love drama. Just curious?:trout:

Before everyone of you sick people get your panties in a wad, read the above post in which he is refering to. This isnt about sick people just the Oscar nominees for best drama.

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lmao, im sorry if that thread insulted you. but now i'm just curious, did it insult you because mabe that is you or you just have a soft heart for idiots that love drama. just curious?:trout:

before everyone of you sick people get your panties in a wad, read the above post in which he is refering to. this isnt about sick people just the oscar nominees for best drama.

:angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire

can you say martyr (sp)?

tex- i say get off your high horse... just because you aren't sick doesn't mean you don't have a good reason not to come to work. what give you the right to judge anyone here? and i agree with several other posts on here... the time is yours and you shouldn't be punished for taking it. furthermore, i don't think there should be any punishment for actually being sick. according to my employer's policy if you call off sick 8 times in 12 months then you are supposed to be terminated. they call it a "no fault policy" which means dr. note, whatever, it doesn't matter it is still an occurence. my daughter has been very sick at times and prone to ear infections, i have come very close to that 8 occurences before. by the grace of god i did not get ill myself, my job would have been toast. why should getting sick be a reason for corrective action? there oughta be a law...

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Specializes in cardiology-now CTICU.
LMAO, Im sorry if that thread insulted you. But now I'm just curious, did it insult you because mabe that is you or you just have a soft heart for idiots that love drama. Just curious?:trout:

Before everyone of you sick people get your panties in a wad, read the above post in which he is refering to. This isnt about sick people just the Oscar nominees for best drama.

i was just trying to point out that this is supposed to be a forum for discussion, expression of opinions, and seeking the support of other professionals- not the playground where we call each other "drama queen" or suggest that other nurses may be better suited to flip burgers. i appreciate that you're just having fun, trying to get a rise out of people... but really.

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Specializes in HH/LTC/WM.

No I'm expressing the opinion from the other side and saying what alot of nurses who do become sick at times but feel guilty about calling in because Joe Blow calls in all the time so when people who are really sick or thier family members are sick take a bunch of crap. Trust me, people do get sick I know this, but getting in a fight with your spouse isnt getting sick that is drama. I dont know how to say it any better than that. Drama queens and kings and habitual call in freaks gives everyone a bad wrap. Is saying that so wrong. I am also the person that when you call in and (DISCLAIMER: not intended for use of people who are really sick)you are not really sick has to work the floor after I do my job. I am the guy who has worked short handed and in between giving showers and changing and taking people to the bathroom try to pass my pills to the 30 residents because that is your personal time and if you want to go to the bar and drink all night on your scheduled shift you can. I have no problem working the floor, in fact I love working the floor, but I really dont like getting to work at 7a.m. and some donkey butt calls 10 min before shift change and decide they have been sick all day but waits until the last min. to call in for a 2-10 shift!

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I work in a family practice office and if your sick your suppose to find your own replacement. Only thing is there are just 3 other nurses besides me that work there so no one will cover spur of the moment on thier day off. This policy is the only thing I really hate about my employer. If your sick enough to not show at all and we work short, we usually end up having one of our docs treat us, so everyone in the office knows whats wrong with you anyway.

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Specializes in NICU.
I have been sick with bronchitis for two weeks, and went back to the doctor this morning and am now on my 2nd round of antibiotics.

He also gave me an injection of cortisone, and a cough syrup with codeine in it.

I called in early this morning and told them I wouldn't be in this evening to work, and about 12noon today just right after I'd taken a dose of that narcotic cough syrup the RN calls me and says she can't find coverage and wants to know if can come on in.

I told her, no, that I could not, I'd just taken that narcotic cough syrup, and I had not slept even one hour last night from this severe coughing.

I probably couldn't have even made the drive in to the job, I was by that time so "under" with that codeine, let alone go in and give medications being medicated like that.

They KNEW I've been sick for two weeks, and this is only the 2nd day I have missed.

I think that is just so bad that they would do me like that. They KNOW I"ve been sick, but expect me to come in anyway.

I'll bet you finally slept well after taking the robitussin with codeine! That stuff is a lifesaver when you've got a bad cough. I was once prescribed it after having one of those coughs that is so spastic that it induced vomiting.

I once called in to work because I'd been admitted to the hospital. My nurse manager took me off the schedule for the entire week, no problem, and told me to call back if I needed the next week off as well. Well, later that same week, after I'd been discharged, one of our charge nurses called me to work overtime. I asked if she noticed I'd been taken off the schedule that week and she said yes, but that we were really short! I said "They don't want me going back to work until next week," and she actually said, "Who is THEY? Why don't THEY want you back at work? I don't care who THEY are, you've been off all week, and we're short, so you should come in and work tonight!" I was so shocked, but I firmly declined. A few weeks later I mentioned it to another charge nurse, in conversation, and she was appauled. She dragged me into the manager's office to repeat the story. That one nurse was never put in charge again, ever.

The thing about using vacation time for "mental health days" is that you don't plan that sort of thing. Usually it's when things suddenly hit the fan in your life, and you just can't deal with working that day. Your mind isn't in the right place and you know you'd be too distracted or exhausted to care properly for your patients. How can you plan something like that? How can you even call and try to switch shifts with someone, when you can't even think straight? I'm not talking about doing this on a regular basis. I'm talking about once in a great while, having such a horrific day that you just need to stay home to take care of yourself for once, instead of everybody else.

I often see the nurses who think the unit/floor can't survive without them getting more burnt out because they feel guilty when they even think about calling in sick, whether they're sick or not.

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.

Asking everyone to chill on this thread. Personal attacks are not OK, and responding in kind is also problematic. Report offending posts rather than responding to them, and let the moderators handle it.

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I'll bet you finally slept well after taking the robitussin with codeine! That stuff is a lifesaver when you've got a bad cough. I was once prescribed it after having one of those coughs that is so spastic that it induced vomiting.

Yes, I did sleep. Finally. The doctor knew I needed that to get some rest because I hadn't slept not one hour all night. He said that would help me rest.

And boy, did it ever.

Now can you imagine me trying to go on in yesterday and give meds under those conditions? How safe would that be? Driving under that narcotic, not having had any rest, and then going in and giving meds to approximately 40 people??

There was no way I could function like that.

And I have coughed so hard, sometimes I do gag, and almost want to vomit. It can be that hard.

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Specializes in NICU.
Yes, I did sleep. Finally. The doctor knew I needed that to get some rest because I hadn't slept not one hour all night. He said that would help me rest.

And boy, did it ever.

I'm glad you feel better! That stuff is like magic. :)

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

Closed for moderator discussion.

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