Do your CNA's call in sick every weekend?

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Jan 9, 2005

I worked at a place where i had every other weekend off. If you called off on a weekend, you always had to make it up.

And a couple of times when i got called in for a weekend because someone drank too much the night before and had a hangover, i was given TWO weekends off in a row, for coming in on my regularly scheduled weekend off.

Midwest4me · Jan 9, 2005

Thank goodness I don't work day shift at my LTC. I have been working at this LTC for about 5 months. The same CNA's call in every weekend with the same excuses weekend after weekend. What about your facility? Do you have the same call-offs every weekend? What does your facility do about these people who call in every weekend?

I don't work LTC anymore, finally having had enough and decided to quit last July. However, when I did work it and had CNAs (or even nurses) call in, you just filled out a "sick slip" and turned it in to the staffing coordinator. That person or the DNS handled any pattern of call-ins. There's no way to prove the person is NOT sick. I rarely called in but if I did, I sure didn't want someone calling me a liar--so most times if I really didn't feel well but wasn't running a temp I'd drag myself in---just couldn't afford to stay home anyway--not with getting only 2-3 hrs' sick time ea. month!!!)We did frequently have the same CNAs call in--more often than not, they seemed to "take turns" calling in. It certainly wasn't in the duties of the charge nurse to handle it.

I worked another LTC years and years ago and if there weren't enough CNA staff --for whatever reason---then the charge nurse also had to take a patient or two in addition to her duties! That was very difficult!

11:11 · Jan 9, 2005

I worked in LTC for a year. The aides called in sick every weekend. I had about 31 pts and was supposed to have two aides. I was lucky to have one.

The aides were mostly teenagers. They drank every friday and saturday night, then called in. If they called in too many times they were fired for thirty days then they could be rehired.

Most of the time they werent fired because we needed them too much.

I'd take another career before working LTC again. God bless those that can do it-

11

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Jan 9, 2005

When I worked in LTC, weekend call-ins were routine. We called it the "bottle flu". :rolleyes:

Jamesdotter · Jan 9, 2005

My only experience with this was a colleague who called in after every payday (same reason). Fortunately we were paid once a month. :chuckle

Cubby · Jan 9, 2005

My facility we make them work their next weekend off. We do allow for extenuating circumstances-family member dying, car wrecks etc. But if we suspect that they are lying about their reason for not being there then they have to bring us a slip stating the reason. If they cannot bring it then they have to work their next scheduled weekend off. It took my facility about a month of being diligent with our new rules, but we don't have the vast numbers of people caling in on weekends anymore. Works for me!! :rotfl:

LydiaNN · Jan 10, 2005

I have worked places where if they had a pattern of calling off, their hours would be cut the next week. This worked fine because at the time the unemployment rate was sky high and we had more applicants than positions.

nahjah · Jan 10, 2005

While in nursing school, I work per diem as a CNA in a LTC facility. While on winter vacation (which ends tonight ), I have been called at least once a day to see if I can come in and pick up shifts from call-ins. Even if I am at work, they call and leave a message! :rolleyes: If someone calls in on their weekend, they must work the next weekend (they work every other). If you have 3 call-ins, they put you on "probation" and then if you call in again, you are supposed to get fired but it never happens. They don't usually fire people over attendance because they need help. There are 16 of us that are per diem and in nursing school, so when we are on vacation, the call-ins start because people know that their shifts will be covered. They will be lost in May when 13 of us graduate and get out of there! :balloons:

snowfreeze, BSN, RN · Jan 10, 2005

I work LTC and we do fire staff members for attendance problems and we don't have many call offs on weekends. Same policy as nahjah stated, we adhere to it.

Blackcat99 · Jan 10, 2005

Thanks all for your great messages. :) I think making the person work the next weekend is a good idea. I think cutting the hours is a good idea too. Yes it's not my problem I just fill out the slip and turn it in. I bet if they started firing the every weekend call-off people it would help too.

alintanurse · Jan 10, 2005

For the short time(thank god!)that I worked in LTC,the cna sick calls were a big problem,but staffing of licensed nurses was too! I was the DC Planner/case manager and the staffing coordinator was always asking me if I would consider working on the floor also. Uhh.......NO!!!!! :eek: