Fake call outs irritate me

[Emergent]

So, Labor Day weekend is over. We had a couple of obvious fake sick calls, leaving the day shift short. Both of them were by people annoyed with management, nurses who constantly, self righteously proclaim their dedication to patient care and safety, and deride the hospital for understaffing.

I believe that we have a moral obligation to come to work if we are able. We signed up for nursing, knowing that we will have to work on weekends and holidays. How can anyone hold their head up and say they are dedicated to patient safety, when they leave their co-workers short because they want to play?

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

We had this same discussion about nurses calling out on the Pdn forum.

Most Pdn agencies are worse than the one i described above.

Come to think of it,I do not think i know of one that does offer sick days.

The LTC facility i used to work at got rid of sick,personal,vacation and bundled it into 2 weeks PTO.

The Cna's were in SEIU 1199 but the nurses were not. Strange

I'm sure I said it on the PDN thread, as someone who has worked in PDN, I've found better agencies that have not eliminated PTO, sick, and educational assistance; actually being in a neighboring state as you, one of those agencies is petitioning to increase wages from the state level; this particular agency is in your state and has a really good satellite offices.

I also know of a particular LTC company that has good wages three weeks PTO upfront, accruing PTO once your start.

Also, since nurses can delegate and supervise, most places use this as a reason for nurses to not have a union; the better facilities have the beauty of when a union is a part of the facility, they are run better, even when nurses are the supervisors and are ineligible to work in the union, it still benefits all.

Like I said before...time to find a new

agency and do some adjustments.

Now, back to the regularly scheduled thread.

[Emergent, RN]

Update here. One of the nurses who called out on Labor Day Weekend was fired. She was a good nurse, but called out frequently, always coincidentally on holidays and weekends.

[Delicate Flower]

I tend to think the best of people, until given evidence to show otherwise. When someone calls in sick, I assume they are sick. Unfortunately for me, I am very susceptible to minor illness like colds and other viruses, and I can count on getting sick at least 3 times a year. Lately it has been more since I have young children spending time with other young children. I have gone to work sick and miserable due to policies like others have mentioned. But given the availability of sick time and a policy that allows its use, I would much rather stay home and be sick than go to work and be sick. Yes I wear a mask at work and wash my hands like crazy, but spending 12 hours taking care of sick people when you are barely making it yourself is not ideal.

I also wanted to note that there are some things you may do while you are sick, like shopping (can't help it if you need tissues, medicine, or food) which does not automatically mean you weren't too sick to work. Going to walmart is a lot different than going in for a busy 12 hour shift caring for immunocompromised patients. Partying on the other hand is a different story.