Do you work when you have The Crud?

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Specializes in NICU.

Well I've got it again. The Crud. A cold I guess. Congestion, sneezing, runny nose, can't breath!! I feel physically fine. I'm off today thankfully. Yesterday I sneezed and blew my nose all day. All my coworkers were like "stay away from me." I have to go back to work this weekend. I feel fine. Is it safe for me to be around my sick medical patients? I know I'll use great hand hygiene. What do y'all do when you have The Crud? Work or not work?

:sniff:

Tiger

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I did. Once. It was horrible. I physically did not feel well, and know that I did not give the best care that I could have. I wore a mask all day long, and explained to every patient that it was because of me, not them, that I was wearing the mask.

I've been ill twice since that episode. I've called off both times. Today is one of them. I think you're better served to stay home and recover properly, than to try to work and work and work instead of allowing your body to do what it needs to do. I have to work this weekend, and would rather take today to rest and be able to go in to work tomorrow feeling better, than to work today and spend the weekend at work feeling crummy. Being sick at work just makes everything else that much more miserable and difficult IMO.

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No I don't. I think it's irresponsible. Infections tend to spread around wards like wild fire. When you take into account your patients low health anyway, you could end up making a lot of people very ill. best to stay home and reason that way you are decreasing your colleagues workload, not increasing it.

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Specializes in Home Care, Hospice, OB.

i vote for staying home. i had the "crud" in early december, and didn't want to call off because i'd only been at a brand new job 3 weeks, so i tried to tough it out..:smackingf

by christmas, i was out for three weeks with bronchitis, severe otis media, intermittent fevers, and three rounds of antibiotics.

maybe if i'd stayed home to start with i could have ridden out a few days of the virus, instead of letting the secondary bacterial "stuff" kick my fanny!!:tbsk:

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Specializes in Telemetry/PCU.

I personally try not to, but what do you do when your hospital call-off policy is so strict that it only allows for 1 day/yr for an absence - excused or unexcused - before going down the road of verbal warning, written warning, suspension. I've seen many nurses on the unit struggling to make it through their 12-hr shift sick so they don't have to have a visit to the supervisor's office. I know there are people who 'abuse' the system and leave the unit short-staffed, but isn't that what PRN and agency RN's are for??? Hospital policy needs to change in some places so nurses CAN keep their germs at home. :(

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I'm off sick today. Worked the last 2 weeks with "the crud" Of course, my job isn't physically demanding. I finally gave in and went to the doc today and have pneumonia-should have called off before it got this bad.:(

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Specializes in Home Care, Hospice, OB.
i'm off sick today. worked the last 2 weeks with "the crud" of course, my job isn't physically demanding. i finally gave in and went to the doc today and have pneumonia-should have called off before it got this bad.:(

my point exactely..

hope you both feel better~~

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I'll tough it out as long as I feel okay - wear a mask, trade away my myelosuppressed pts, and wash my hands like a maniac (but I do that anyway). Our call-off policy requires you to call off 3 hours before the start of your shift. If I don't wake up 3 hours before my shift starts, and I don't know I'm sick, then I try to make it unless it's REALLY bad - a late call off is waaaaaaay worse than a normal one for us. But if I'm really sick, I don't risk it. Seriously not worth it if you have something really bad. We had a nurse that had really bad bronchiis in December, and she came to work every day anyway - when she coughed, it sounded just like a litle kid with stridor, and her eyes bugged way out. It was scary, and she got a ton of other people sick. In as case like that, no way would I be showing up at work!!!! But if it's just a little cold, no fever, and I feel fine otherwise, then yes, I'll work (with precautions).

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Specializes in OB, Med-Surg.

i have the crud way too often to call in every time. so as long as i don't have a fever, and feel like i can push myself to do my best then i go anyway. it takes a lot to get me down so i pretty much know when enough is enough.

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Specializes in LTC, office.

I had a horrible case of the crud a couple weeks ago. I did call in for two days due to a fever and body aches so bad I could hardly move. But I did go in once the fever stayed down, although I still felt rough.

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Specializes in Trauma acute surgery, surgical ICU, PACU.

I am really sick of my co-workers coming to work sick and spreading it around.

And no matter how well you say you wash your hands around the patients, there are always times when you slip up. Blow your nose and go to do pt care or something, by accident but it still happens.

Most of the time when I get sick, it's because I got it from a co-worker, and I don't appreciate it. And I DO call in sick when I am sick.

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No!! Just a couple of months ago, I missed 4 days of work due to a severe cold. In an ICU, our patients are already immunocompromised and sick nurses arent making it any better. Just think if you were to give a cold to an AIDS pt.

As nurses, we are humans too. Don't feel bad about calling in sick. It happens to everyoen at some point.

Hope you feel better!!!

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