Do you go to work with vomiting/diarrhea?

[designer-mommy, BSN, RN]

I work in a psych/chemical dependency unit. We have two sides, one for crisis with 30 beds and another with 16 beds which is more of a stabilization/transitional type service (that's my side). We have two RNs on at any given time, one on each side. Anyway, there is a virus running rampant on my unit. The patients are sick as dogs and so are many of the staff. I had it two weeks ago, and when I went to call in I was told that I needed to come in because they needed an 8 hour notice. Um, sure, 8 hours would be courteous but who really knows if they're going to be sick in 8 hours? That's a little unrealistic, especially with only 12 hours between shifts. I was actually trying to wait and see if the vomiting/diarrhea would go away, but it didn't. Well, they ended up calling in another nurse to work overtime and cover my shifts, thank God. There was absolutely no way that I could have worked that day. I was in the bathroom literally every five minutes. I'm the only nurse to those extremely needy med seekers, so I'm constantly being bombarded with "psychosis" episodes, PRN requests, etc. So, yeah, not much room for bathroom breaks. OK, fast forward to today, the day nurse that relieved me was literally puking out of her car window on the way to work because she attempted to call in and the supervisor said that she had to come in because there was no one to cover. In my opinion, forcing the staff to come in while extremely ill is probably what caused the outbreak among the patients. Staff was the first group to come down with it, then the patients.

So, my question is, are you forced to go to work when you have vomiting/diarrhea going on? Aren't we supposed to be advocates for our patients? Shouldn't their well being be our top priority? How is going to work with a wicked virus that can easily be passed on to our patients supposed to help them? For the record, I am NOT one to call in. I know how badly it affects everyone. However, I feel that some things warrant staying home, and this issue is definitely one of them. This is just another reason to hate my job even more, and I have plenty of reasons as it is.

[Alex Egan, LPN, EMT-B]

Vomiting and diarrhea is really the only reason I call off work. I do peds home care so I really don't want to get anyone sick. If I just have malaise I will work

I use my phone, to type, I work at night, and I'm a bad speller. Pick any reason you want for my misspellings

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

Most of my employers tell me not to come in.

I think I have gone to work REALLY sick, but I had a nasty bug that the unit I was working on had spread to most of the pts, so I understand your situation, although the only symptoms I had was a bad sore throat and cough.

[caliotter3]

I have been told to stay home, I have been told to come to work, I have been told to bring a doctor's note when I returned, just about the entire spectrum of responses, but I remember fondly, the time when I was deathly sick at work. When not in the bathroom with either diarrhea or vomiting, I was told to lie down on the couch in the foyer. I don't see how I could have been much help at work but the supervisor probably envisioned taking my 80 patients on herself, so she had me lie down between my med passes. AFAIC, we should stay home when we know that we are capable of being a detriment to our patients, our coworkers, or ourselves. Most of the time we are capable of making that determination.

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

Vomiting and diarrhea are the only two absolute reasons I'd call off from work. If I'm doing either of those, I'm shedding too much of whatever I've got plus a LOT of fluid. While finding someone to cover at relatively short notice isn't nice or easy, it's a whole lot better than having to emergently cover my shift because I ended up passing out at work... I'm sure if that happened, I'd be written up for coming into work sick... even if I was told by my manager/supervisor to come in to work sick.

[kiszi, RN]

Short answer, no I do not. If I worked for an employer that tried to force me come in when I was that sick, combined with other issues, I would seriously consider looking for another job. I know jobs are hard to come by nowadays, but....jeez.

8 hours notice? Ridiculous.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I've gone to work with bad colds, sore throat, and bronchitis, and worn a mask. I will NOT go in with nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea because a) I've always worked with either elderly or newborns, and b) I'm usually too weak even to stand up straight, so working is not an option. Besides, who needs my pestilence on top of whatever they're already sick with?

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

Is this a serious question?

No. Never ever, and if I get sick like this during a shift, I'm going home, like it or not.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

Oh heck no.

[Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN]

I went in once when I had a cold because staffing made me feel bad. I also got floated to a higher-level-of-care unit two hours into my shift and given each nurse's worst patient plus a few admissions. From that day on, if I'm feeling even a little under the weather, I'm not going in. I do try to call in by 9-10AM (I work at 7PM). That's being extra nice, though! I figure two hours is fair since staffing can cancel us two hours before a shift.

If I am expected to give 150% at work, I have to be at 90%- at least!

[amzyRN]

I might go in with a cold and wear a mask if I were getting over the cold, but never if I were really sick. They make us stay home if we have GI symptoms too. It's really not a good idea to work while sick, because it could mean having to take more time off in the long run if the illness gets worse.

[sistrmoon, BSN, RN]

No way! I work with Onc patients. Vomiting, diarrhea or fever is callout time. Something you or me could handle can be a death sentence for them.