How does your hospital/unit handle call ins?

[deespoohbear]

I was curious to see how other facilities handle this touchy subject. I was working as the house supervisor on Sunday morning. I had both nurses scheduled to work the 3-11 shift in the extended care unit call in ill. This department is notorious for calling in, especially on weekends. But, nothing seems to be done about it. At the LTC facility I worked at a few years ago before I became a nurse was fairly strict about call ins. If you called in on your weekend to work, you got to work the next one, no questions asked. That policy pretty much eliminated any "questionable" call ins. My current facility doesn't seem to have much of a policy in place except that if you miss more that two days do to illness, you need a doctor's note. Each department manager just handles each situation as it comes along. I feel their should be a hospital wide policy on call ins, and the same rules should apply to everyone, regardless. I know I just dreaming, but I was wondering what other facilities do. I know just about everyone gets sick once and a while, and that I have no problem with. It is the same people who call in all the time. Thanks for letting me vent. :(

[deespoohbear]

Well, I will find out how much trouble I will be in at work now. My 10 year old had to have an emergency appy on Wednesday afternoon. He got to come home Thursday, but I still feel like I should be home with him yet today. My husband has the flu, so I don't think he should be the one necessarily taking care of our son right now. Last night when I called the 2nd shift supervisor, she gave me the old line: "Well, we are kind of in a pinch here, since we are going to have to pull a nurse to ICU." The old guilt trip routine, but I didn't fall for it. I just said, "Well, my son just has surgery on Wednesday (this is Friday), and my husband has the flu. I am needed at home." I got a note from the surgeon to give to my supervisor stating why I am off work. My son was admitted to the med/surg floor that I happen to work on. I got a note anyway, because I want "official" documentation in my file to explain my absence. Our new manager is a real stickler for notes, so I thought I would oblige her. :D Hopefully, that will suffice.

[VAC]

Good for you, deespoohbear, for not caving in to the guilt trip. No one in your situation should be given any crap at all about taking time off. Hope your kid has a speedy recovery and don't go back to work until you are ready!!

[micro, RN]

No, not abuse it, and some do.....that 20%. but VAC you are right. We earn our time off, if we need to take it off, we should not get the third degree or other guilt trips.

I like the dr. excuses that simply states dr. signature and return to work. Unless there is something they need to know, they don't need to know it.

I rarely call in sick, and when I am sick I am!!!

Deehspoohbear Good for you, can you believe it. Guilt trip. Your son had surgery and Friday they don't understand why you would want to stay home!!!!!

Can't wait for my vacation and PTO.

[deespoohbear]

I was scheduled off this weekend, so I do not have to go back to work until Monday now. I think my son will be fine by then. The surgeon was able to do the procedure laparscopically, so my kid is moving around fairly well. He has been such a trooper during this whole thing! I have been so proud of him!! I am just thankful the appendix wasn't ruptured!!! I would have been taking off more than 3 days from work if that had been the situation!!! I am sure if that had been the case, I would have still caught the old guilt trip routine. Oh well, my family needs me at home now. I know will not regret taking this time off, no matter how much grief they dish out for me at work! ;)

[mcl4]

Originally posted by VAC

Originally posted by mcl4

If you've seen physician note, most write a clear explanation on reason the person can not work, length of time they should be off as well as any limitation that might be necessary like a lifting/weight restriction when they return to work.

I have seen and been given preprinted doctors notes, where the doctor just fills in the dates of care and signs it.

My experience when supervising has been different and physicians in this area write out dates, if their patient has an infectious illness that has been treated with antibiotics or

injury that would limit their ability to work at full capacity. If you has an injury, this physician would just write a one line note with dates of care without any limitations? If a person was returning after recovery for a surgical procedure and had limitations, there would be just a preprinted form with the dates of care? In reality, most times employees call in ill and they are not required to bring in a doctor's form.

[psnurse]

Ok... I have read about writing the reason the provider says you should be off on the excuse. I disagree with this and would require a new note with simply the date I could return and any applicable restrictions.

We are bound to uphold confidentiality with regard to our patient's records. Why don't you expect your own medical care to be confidential?

The exact nature of interaction with my health care provider is on a need to know basis. Unless I am at the office for a work related reason, my employer doesn't need to know.

[skap]

At the hospital I work at we're allowed 5 call-in's a year. It's a rolling year too. With the 6th call in we get a verbal warning, the 7th one we get a written warning, the 8th one we get a day suspension, the 9th we get terminated. I've never seen anyone get suspended/terminated but there are plenty of verbal/written warnings going around. The only advantage is that if we are scheduled to work M,W,Sat and we call in all three days it only counts as one time! As long as we never come to back to work in between those days it's considered one time.

[VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN]

How does your hospital/unit handle call ins?

They string us up, then we're drawn and quartered! Seriously, they DOOON'T like call-ins in my neck of the woods. One young RN in my unit was sick with nausea and diarrhea and had to make a quick exit from work. The nurse manager later wouldn't let her use her sick pay and the poor girl had to eat the hours lost... and this right before Christmas! Our hospital also has one of those occurrence policies... so many call-ins in six months and you're out the door. They also have a wellness buyback once a year if you go a whole year without using sick pay or calling in (more than 8 hours or so).

[deespoohbear]

My story just continues to get better. I had posted earlier that my husband became ill after I got our son home from having an appy. My kid came home Thursday, my hubby became sick with the flu on Thursday night. You know the kind you don't dare leave the bathroom for fear you may not make it back in time? By Friday noon it was clear my hubby was becoming dehydrated, but he refused to go see the doctor. I told him that he better go because you never know what local "yokel" you will get in the ER. But no, we couldn't do that. So guess when he decides it is time to go the doctor? Saturday morning at 9 am! Actually, he wanted me to have our family doctor paged. I got a hold of our family doc and told him that I thought my hubby needed IVF. So he got admitted to the hospital and stayed till late Sunday evening. I was so tired by that time, there was no way I could come in and work a 12 hour shift on Monday!! When I did return to work on Tuesday, I sure didn't get hassled about missing. I actually had my manager come and ask me how I was doing. We will see what happens though at evaluation time!! Hopefully my family will manage to stay healthy for awhile.:) :)