Feeling Like a Real Dirtbag...

[westieluv]

because I applied for and interviewed for a transfer within my company without realizing that I am under discipline for attendance.

This past winter, I had a bout with sciatica. When it started, I was limping and in a lot of pain at work. The supervisor sent me home and called in the nurse who was on call. Absence #1. My doctor insisted that I stay off work for a week on steroids and NSAIDs to recover, absences #2,3, and 4. A couple of months after that, our entire familiy was hit by the worst stomach flu that I have ever experienced. Absences #5 and 6. I guess I was supposed to go to work and throw up on my patients...

But anyway, yes, my supervisor talked to me and had me sign a paper agreeing to not call in sick more than four times in the next year or something, but having never been disciplined before in over 20 years of nursing, I naively didn't understand that this meant that I was being put under formal discipline. I assumed that you had to be at a higher level, such as mandatory time off, to be under formal discipline. Duh.

In my company, you are not allowed to apply for a job transfer if you are under discipline. Not realizing that I am, I applied for a position, interviewed for it, the manager liked me a lot, and she scheduled a second interview for later this week with some of my potential peers in that department. After my supervisor called me today to tell me that I am actually under formal discipline, I had to call the manager who interviewed me and tell her. I felt like a class A heel and soooo embarrassed, to have applied while unwittingly under discipline. She was so nice, and she said she will talk to my current supervisor to see if we can proceed or not, but she didn't have to do that, she could have been a real witch about it, and I wouldn't have blamed her.

Anyway, just had to vent to other nurses who maybe understand a little bit of what I'm feeling right now. I feel embarrassed more than anything, although I also hate a system that demands that you not expose patients to illness but penalizes you if you are truly sick. : (

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

These policies are not the same everywhere. It does seem to be ridiculous to penalize you for genuine illnesses for which you were under treatment by a physician. Maybe you should explore employment options at other organizations that have better policies.

[julz68]

My hospital is the same way with absences. We can only have five in one year and are put on discipline on the 6th one. Because of this, I have an anxiety attack when I have to call in sick and can't rest whatsoever..I feel guilty even tho I shouldn't. Most of the time I go to work ill for fear of getting in trouble. One time I called to tell them I had a temp of 103, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea... the supe told me to take Tylenol and sleep a couple hours and then call back. (I called 6 hrs before my shift) I called back and he asked what my temp was, which was 99.8, and he said to come in since that's not a true fever. I did go in reluctantly, only to be sent home after 2 hours cuz I couldn't stay out of the bathroom! So I guess we almost have to be dead before we call in sick in the health care business "/

[llg, PhD, RN]

I can understand being embarrassed about not understanding the disciplinar procedures of your workplace ... but I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it. It sounds like that hiring manager is being nice and reasonble about it. I was on the other end of such a situation a few years ago. I was in charge of a scholarship program and one of the applicants didn't realize she was inelligible for the same reason as you. She was still awarded the scholarship -- a few months later, after her disciplinary period was over -- and after finishing school, she was promoted and is still a valued employee.

If your long-term record is good and you have an otherwise positive reputation, this little booboo won't hurt much.

Good luck with the transfer.

[JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP]

I don't understand -- you don't have sick days? Used them all up? Used too many in too short a period?

[westieluv]

Thanks for your kind, supportive replies.

Jeanette73, I missed more than the allotted number of days of work within a couple of months. My job is contingent, so there are no official sick days, we are just not supposed to call off or miss work more than 3-4 times a year. Most places would have counted the four days off for sciatica as one occurrence, which is what the manager who interviewed me thought they should have done, ditto the back to back shifts with the stomach flu. They counted it as six separate incidents. I even called and told them that I would still work with the sciatica since I was under treatment and doing somewhat better, but they told me that a doctor's note precludes everything else and I had to stay home...and then they penalized me for it. : (

Anyway, since I posted this the manager who interviewed me had the HR dept. check on my being under discipline and they couldn't find any record of it, even though my current manager says I am. It seems that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. The manager who interviewed me for the new position was supposed to call my current manager today and try to straighten it all out, but so far I haven't heard anything.

I have an interview with a completely different company tomorrow afternoon, so I am hoping that this whole silly thing gets resolved very soon, one way or the other.

Thanks again, and have a great day all of you! : )

[julz68]

By the way...love your username and pic! I have a Westie girl myself and a Cairn :)

[julz68]

Also, I want to add, it is also our policy that if you have a Dr note and are off consecutive shifts, it would be counted as one occurrence....the same for consecutive days off for the flu. I'm surprised they did count them separately if that's your policy as well. Hope you get the transfer! Good luck :)

[westieluv]

Thanks, julz68, that's what I thought about the consecutive days off, but when I went in to discuss it with my boss she had each and every date listed individually and counted as one occurrence each.

Anyway, yes, we love our little Westie girl. Aren't they great, loyal, little dogs? Every time we come home from anywhere, even a quick trip to the grocery store, she acts like she hasn't seen us for weeks and gives us little "mouth hugs" on our knees, cuz that's all she can reach, lol. We love her to pieces!