Does anybody else feel guilty about calling off?

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I was wondering if anybody else on here has call off guilt, my husband says I am crazy because of it. I am on light duty and had called off 2 days after sustaining a back injury moving a patient. My manager is great is accommodating with my restrictions so I am one day back to work and now I have 2 sick kids at home with what looks like strep throat, so obviously I will be taking them to the doc tomorrow. Is it ingrained in us in nursing school to feel guilty when missing work or is it just me?

When I worked at our local hospital we were allowed 3 sick "events". If we were sick for multiple days at once that was considered one event.

That is how it's been at any place I have ever worked too. Multiple sick days in a row, counted as one sick day. If employees were sick for three or more days in a row, they had to bring in a doctor's note, when they returned to work.

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Specializes in cardiac/education.
You hit the nail on the head. my husband is a state police office and with many troopers rotating to look for the man who shot 2 state troopers calling off at this time for him is not the easiest.

Hey, my husband is in law enforcement too and I have two young children so I am right there with you. My hubs can get called out, come home and tell me he has to work late two days from now, mandatory overtime, etc. I have no family help for the most part with my kids and getting childcare very early or very late at night is very hard and not my preference. I don't trust anyone else yet. So, for this reason, I FINALLY dropped to POOL at hospital and found another job part time that works with my kids' school hours and works better for hubs. It just has to be that way for us. Get paid more for POOL plus more time home with kids. Ever thought of that since you prob get bennies through hubs?

I feel for you. My kid has febrile seizures and now a possible diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy so come wintertime and sickies

I really start shaking in my boots. Sorry, but my kids will ALWAYS come first.

DON'T feel guilty. Your family is more important but if calling off becomes excessive, well, then I guess you need to work something else out like I have. :yes:

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the idea of having to account for your sick days is ridiculous imho. you have (3, 7, whatever) sick days per year, you're entitled to use them whenever you need to, for whatever reason. you don't have to justify why you want to use them on any particular day, and you don't owe anyone an explanation - not strangers on Allnurses, not your co-workers, and not even your boss beyond possibly needing to give him/her a doctor's note. your sick days, personal days, PTO, vacation days - they are yours. use them and don't apologize or feel bad.

i know it's too much to ask people to stop pearl-clutching and moralizing and judging others for taking sick days but really - how does it affect you differently if someone is calling off for a hangover vs. calling off because they've got a fever of 102* vs. calling off to take care of his/her kids? It doesn't.

If you're working and someone else calls off, your workday is going to be the same whether your absent co-worker is at home vomiting or sitting in a coffee shop reading a book. You know what makes the difference between working short when someone else calls off and being adequately staffed despite call-offs? Your management.

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Specializes in Med Surg.

Brilliant post, Ceccia. It's no one's business how anyone else chooses to use their sick days. I've taken mental health days and sick days. Guess what? The hospital is still standing, the unit continued to run. I have a decent PTO package and am allowed 5 attendance occurrences within a 12 month period, why not use them if needed?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.

No guilt on my end. Of course, I try to keep the jobs where I get to set my own schedule, so there's no reason to call in. But, for all other purposes, you work for an organization which should mean that there is always someone else to take your spot (given enough notice) should you not be able to report to work. After all, if they were going to fire you, they're surely not going to wait until they hire someone else to fill your position. They'd simply pull from another area or from a float pool (if it has one). My point is, no employee should think or believe they can't be replaced.

Sometimes, managers or staffing coordinators just don't want to go through the hassle of finding someone to do it, or don't want to be bothered with crunching the numbers for other areas to find a replacement. I see no difference in you taking a day (for a very good reason) versus your job canceling shifts based on the census, then slamming the few nurses left with admission after admission.

If your kids have been ill for several days, it is hoped that it would have been mentioned to your manager that you and your husband are having to rotate supervision of them, thereby being able to provide at least a 12-24-hour notice (obviously a serious situation with the kids) instead of the customary 2-hr notice. If you have a legitimate reason, do what you have to do and do it guilt-free. The managers already know their employees who abuse leave. Take your kids to the doctor, and get a doctor's statement just in case, whether your job asks for it or not, just to cover yourself.

Hope your children feel better!

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Specializes in Cardiovascular Progresive Care Unit.

I don't feel guilty at all. I am sick and I am staying at home. End of story.

I don't feel guilty when they are calling me to come on my day off and I say "no".

I love being nurse and I like my job BUT my priority is my health and my family.

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I never feel guilty about taking a sick day. I'm a human being and have needs too.

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Specializes in ER, PACU, Med-Surg, Hospice, LTC.
the idea of having to account for your sick days is ridiculous imho. you have (3, 7, whatever) sick days per year, you're entitled to use them whenever you need to, for whatever reason. you don't have to justify why you want to use them on any particular day, and you don't owe anyone an explanation - not strangers on Allnurses, not your co-workers, and not even your boss beyond possibly needing to give him/her a doctor's note. your sick days, personal days, PTO, vacation days - they are yours. use them and don't apologize or feel bad.

i know it's too much to ask people to stop pearl-clutching and moralizing and judging others for taking sick days but really - how does it affect you differently if someone is calling off for a hangover vs. calling off because they've got a fever of 102* vs. calling off to take care of his/her kids? It doesn't.

If you're working and someone else calls off, your workday is going to be the same whether your absent co-worker is at home vomiting or sitting in a coffee shop reading a book. You know what makes the difference between working short when someone else calls off and being adequately staffed despite call-offs? Your management.

I LOVE this post. Well said-thank you!

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The hospital should have a backup plan for call offs, even last minute call offs, if not, that's their problem.

Some managers are just too damn cheap to use the hospital float pool, since it comes out of their budget and ultimately their bonus for coming in under budget.

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I used to feel guilty for calling out, but since a coworker will call out with no reason given or announce that she has to leave early during our busiest time I don't think twice about it. I do elaborate what's going on, whether it's myself or one of my kids (12 and 3). Hubby isn't always an option to stay home with the kids because he 1) can't handle cleaning up vomit 2) doesn't know what to say/ask at the pediatrician and 3)can't always miss work because of his position and meetings with the VP of the company. I know when it's a true sick day and when it's just a mental health day, and I also know whether my coworkers can handle being short-staffed or not.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
My injury was from helping to lift the pannus of an 800+lb pt. Thankfully it is just muscular and because of the injury they are looking into how to prevent this in the future......

Scary! Just to imagine someone that big is scary!

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At 12 and 13 yes, they are old enough to be home alone when sick. My mom was a single parent who worked two jobs, so we learned how to be self reliant at a young age. If they were elementary school age it's a bit different, but at 12 and 13 they are beyond being able to take care of themselves.

ummmm...in some states it isn't legal to leave your kids home alone until the age of 12 or 13, and with a 102.4 fever....not on your life. What's worse, calling in sick, or having to leave when one of them gets scared because of how high that fever is. It could be hours before the nursing supervisor finds someone to cover you.

Sorry you grew up that way, (I was a latchkey kid myself) but even when sick my mother stayed home.

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