Feeling Guilty (calling in sick)

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Specializes in Cardiac Step Down, PICU.

Has anyone else called in sick when their children were sick? I work night shift on a very busy cardiac step down unit. My 7 year old had a fever of 102.6 when I went to work. My husband was given a medication schedule for the Tylenol and motrin. When I returned from work in the morning, my husband told me the children had a 2 hour delay from school due to snow:rolleyes: Despite the fact he an important meeting, he rearranged his schedule so I could take a shower and go to bed with my sick son and try to get some sleep. Half way through my shower he informed me the 2 hour delay was now a cancelled school day. I told my hubby to just go to work. The few hours he had arranged for me to sleep was not going to happen with 2 very excited kids who wanted to play in the snow. I now have three children staying home from school. I was so worried about not being able to get the sleep I needed before the next shift I called in sick. I have NEVER called in sick unless I was truely sick. I have been feeling sick to my stomach ever since.

Please tell me some of you have used your sick days for family sick days and that management didn't punish you for it. I have to go into work tonight and know I don't look sick...the guilt is just killing me....

P.S. I called in 8 hours before my shift started. I tried to give as much notice as possible..I do hope they found a replacement:uhoh3:

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Has anyone else called in sick when their children were sick? I work night shift on a very busy cardiac step down unit. My 7 year old had a fever of 102.6 when I went to work. My husband was given a medication schedule for the Tylenol and motrin. When I returned from work in the morning, my husband told me the children had a 2 hour delay from school due to snow:rolleyes: Despite the fact he an important meeting, he rearranged his schedule so I could take a shower and go to bed with my sick son and try to get some sleep. Half way through my shower he informed me the 2 hour delay was now a cancelled school day. I told my hubby to just go to work. The few hours he had arranged for me to sleep was not going to happen with 2 very excited kids who wanted to play in the snow. I now have three children staying home from school. I was so worried about not being able to get the sleep I needed before the next shift I called in sick. I have NEVER called in sick unless I was truely sick. I have been feeling sick to my stomach ever since.

Please tell me some of you have used your sick days for family sick days and that management didn't punish you for it. I have to go into work tonight and know I don't look sick...the guilt is just killing me....

P.S. I called in 8 hours before my shift started. I tried to give as much notice as possible..I do hope they found a replacement:uhoh3:

Oh do I know how you feel! I've had to call in a few times due to no sleep. I have two young kids (who are not in school yet), and a husband in the military. There were times when he was gone with the military that I would be on a 3 day stretch and only have a babysitter for the night when I was actually at work. She would have to leave as soon as I returned in the morning. Now this schedule actually did make me physically ill! I was so tired and I realize how bad for my health that was. Thankfully I never made any mistakes at work due to lack of sleep.

Don't feel guilty! Believe me your manager and patients for that matter would rather have a well rested, clear headed nurse taking care of them!

Sometimes things like this happen when you have kids-they are your priority! I'm sure if you told your co-workers what happened they would understand! So Stop feeling guilty:)

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Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, LTC.

You knew you wouldn't be able to sleep. What condition would you be in to work if you didn't get any sleep? Would you have been safe? Would you have been feeling 100% going 48 hours without sleep? I think that its ok for you to take a sick day if it was impossible to get sleep. However, I think you need to find some alternate child care for the times school is delayed/canceled or your children are sick. Or see if you can make an arrangement with another employee to switch days/trade days or offer to work an extra weekend for someone so that staffing isn't hurt.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I don't think you were wrong. I have had to call in when my kids were sick, too. SOMEone has to care for them, right? And that someone is their parent.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, , Home health, Education.

How many times have we gone into work when we should have called in sick? Don't feel guilty. When you leave this earth you aren't going to say "Gee, I wish I would have worked more and spent less time with my familY". Take care of your little ones....work will take care of itself.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

I only have teenage step-kids so I've never had the issue of staying home to care for sick kids. All the places I've worked no-one ever hesistated to call in for their kids being sick. It was/is a perfectly acceptable excuse. The only issue I had was if a mom called in for a sick kid and everyone knew there was a competent live-in father that would be home the same time. I know kids can be pathetic and wanting their mommies when they are sick (lord I still want my mommy sometimes when I'm really sick and I'm 34). Let me emphasize I realize this was not the case for the OP. One more thing, I have no hesitation to call in if I've been unable to sleep or do not feel well at all. I followed a good nurse who came to work sick and made a near fatal med error. She lost her job and was reported to the state board. The patient seemed fine and back to baseline after about 24 hrs but the nurse lost her job and was reported to the BON (though I don't know her final outcome).

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Specializes in Emergency.

I would not sweat it too much. There are people who call in just because they dont feel like going to work on a particular day. They dont give a damn about the unit being short staffed or not.

Everyone needs a mental health day as well. It still totally amazes me that management expects us to be exposed day in and day out to stress, germs, potential injury and everything else that goes with providing professional health care and stay well doing it. I personally know people that use a particular hopitals sick policy to the utmost, ie if you are allowed x days sick in a rolling 12 month period they take a day off as soon as the last hit falls off.

rj

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I know I will probably get blasted for this, but why is it that people want their cake, and eat it too? You wanted both a career and a family, and you have responsibilities to both- your choice. If it is something that happens only rarely- then don't feel guilty, but I have worked with people who "Call In Sick" for every piano recital, runny nose, and soccer game. And I have been scheduled for nearly every holiday, because "You don't have children."

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Specializes in CCU,ICU,ER retired.

Some things in life are not cut and dried. a single mother doesn't have the luxury of staying home. I worked with a guy who,even tho he worked in a female oriented career(nursing) always spewed that women should be home with their children to raise them and take care of their hubbys that was their job period. His wife did not know how to drive or pay bills. write a check and was never allowed out without him. And tragically He caught a disease called Good-pastures disease. and was in the hospital on a vent for months, We taught his wife how to do all of the above. I mean he was a nice enough guy and all just very backdated ideas. They are still together but things are drastically changed.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
I know I will probably get blasted for this, but why is it that people want their cake, and eat it too? You wanted both a career and a family, and you have responsibilities to both- your choice. If it is something that happens only rarely- then don't feel guilty, but I have worked with people who "Call In Sick" for every piano recital, runny nose, and soccer game. And I have been scheduled for nearly every holiday, because "You don't have children."

Ummm not all of us want a career and kids....some have no choice. My cousin whose husband died suddenly and too young when her daughter was 5 comes to mind. She was forced to go back to work fulltime (after being home fulltime w/the child). Another relative's husband ran off with another woman, starting a whole new family and sent her next to no child support for years. She was forced to work fulltime and go to school for LPN-RN so she could support her two kids, who would somehow just not quit eating, growing and needing things.

And finding sick daycare is nearly impossible. Most kids want to be home when they are sick, so mom or dad has to call off sick to care for them. No crime there. When one is a single parent, there is no one else to depend on to cover when kids' needs come up.....

And most parents dont' call in sick for every silly kid thing. That is for another thread! It's hard as a person without kids to know the conflict one feels when he/she must call off sick due to kid needs (and I not talking piano recitals here).

The old "walk a mile in my shoes" saying comes to mind here. IF your place of work is screwing you over for those who have kids, maybe you could consider making a stink about it, or moving on?

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We all work....

But, we all have lives outside of work And when it comes to family....

no guilt when it comes to missing work. Family first.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I applaud your dedication !:nurse: What kind of a nurse would you be if you turned your back on your family ? You called in early and your did your best. Do not feel guilty in the least. I would have done it the way you did.

Hope your "munchkin" is feeling better.:clown:

LPN 90

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