colleague does not want to take day off

[bellefleur]

I worked with a colleague who is in her 60's who seems has a lot of energy. She said she loves to work and would not want to take days off if she could. I asked her what makes her motivated to work everyday. She said jokingly if you see your bills that gets you kicked out of bed. She is hyperactive at work and she could work 12 hours all week without taking days off. I can get exhausted at the end of the day just like everybody else and working long hours is not my cup of tea. Is there something wrong with her? Is that an indication that she may be manic or ADD?

[2k15NurseExtern4u, BSN, RN]

Nobody before me. I didn't say this person was, either. What I said was that if I were looking for a cause of missing money or drugs, the person who never takes time off would be a priority for investigation. The little old lady in accounting who never took a day off and dies suddenly is always the one who's been found to have been siphoning off thousands of dollars per year ...

This logic makes absolutely no sense.

[cockadoodie]

This logic makes absolutely no sense.

I knew a nurse who went to work to feed her drug needs. she told me she was taking pain meds when she ran out.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

This logic makes absolutely no sense.

In the case of an accounting embezzler, it makes sense because nobody else sees the books unless she dies (because she never goes on vacation), and that's when the fraud is discovered.

In the case of a drug thief, the narc count or other accounting for meds will always be ok as long as she does it; it's when she's not managing the log and somebody else does that the discrepancy is discovered, so she becomes the selfless person who is always there. Harder to do in a business that isn't closed on weekends, but not too hard in a clinic or office setting.

Hope that clarifies the reference for you.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

When I was paying off student loans and saving to buy my house, I worked A LOT. I probably couldn't work that many hours again, but it paid off.

To assume that someone has a drug addiction and/or is stealing simply because they enjoy working......where is the factual evidence?

[Minkuscat1]

Love your response. No work ethic these days for the youngens

I would say work ethics isn't in a percentage of all people in all ages, not just the youngens!:)

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

When I was paying off student loans and saving to buy my house, I worked A LOT. I probably couldn't work that many hours again, but it paid off.

To assume that someone has a drug addiction and/or is stealing simply because they enjoy working......where is the factual evidence?

:: patiently ::

A more careful reading of both of my posts will show you that I neither make nor advocate that assumption. What I said was if I were investigating a drug diversion or other serial malfeasance, my attention would first go to such a person; this is based on historical data on such crimes. I would not assume that such a person were doing such a thing first. Calm down.

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

Ageism is the last acceptable form of discrimination in this country.

Older nurses know this and some work twice as hard as their younger counterparts because they are afraid of losing their jobs.

[Emergent, RN]

Ageism is the last acceptable form of discrimination in this country.

Older nurses know this and some work twice as hard as their younger counterparts because they are afraid of losing their jobs.

Sometimes older nurses work a lot of hours to build up their retirement funds, to bail out dysfunctional family members, to pay medical bills for an ailing spouse.

I see a lot of nurses in their 60s with even older husbands who've retired. Also, a large percentage of Americans have been careless with money, living beyond their means, and end up trying to do catch up as retirement approaches.

And the enabling I see my colleagues do for their ungrateful adult children makes my blood boil. Grrrr.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Heard the other day that there are more grandparents than ever before raising their grandkids. I could totally see how that translates into working more hours for a longer period of one's life.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Grn Tea, I read your post more than once. I meant what I said, and I was simply asking a question. I am calm.

There were other posts that made it seem as though working often was suspicious.

[Idaho_nurse]

I worked with a colleague who is in her 60's who seems has a lot of energy. She said she loves to work and would not want to take days off if she could. I asked her what makes her motivated to work everyday. She said jokingly if you see your bills that gets you kicked out of bed. She is hyperactive at work and she could work 12 hours all week without taking days off. I can get exhausted at the end of the day just like everybody else and working long hours is not my cup of tea. Is there something wrong with her? Is that an indication that she may be manic or ADD?

if ONLY i had that much energy. Everyone's energy level and tolerance is different. just because she can run circles around most of us, does not mean anything is wrong with her. May just be the way she is and has always been.

[ambr46]

I do like the fact that Grn Tea tries to look at both sides of the coin and gets you thinking a little bit. If it wasn't for her comment I think the discussion would have petered out long ago.